A little-known provision in Kansas's budget bill could reshape how child care programs access trained staff—at no direct cost.
Most Kansas child care owners don't realize that buried in HB2513—a sweeping state budget bill—is $14.3 million specifically designed to help small businesses like theirs build a trained workforce through apprenticeships. This provision, often overlooked in the larger appropriations package, could meaningfully affect how you hire and train staff over the next few years.
Section 65(b) of HB2513 (found on page 199) allocates $14.3 million to Kansas community and technical colleges for apprenticeship development and business-industry outreach. The funds are distributed by formula across colleges statewide, and the money is explicitly intended to help small businesses access workforce-ready apprentices and customized training programs at no direct cost to the employer.
For child care operators, this means your local community college can use these funds to develop apprenticeship tracks tailored to child care work—whether that's early childhood education, infant care, or administrative roles—and connect you with apprentices who are already partially trained before they arrive at your facility.
This program is designed for small businesses, which includes most independent and small-chain child care centers. You don't pay directly for the apprenticeship training or curriculum development; the community college covers it with state funds. Your role is to host and mentor the apprentice while they earn and learn.
The apprentices themselves benefit from earning wages while training, and your business gains access to motivated, structured workforce development without the typical recruitment and onboarding costs.
The funding is allocated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. However, there's a critical condition: community colleges must certify that they are not increasing their 2027 tax levy. If a college cannot meet this requirement, the funds lapse on June 30, 2027.
This means the window to access these programs is real but time-bound. If your local community college qualifies, the apprenticeship programs should be available starting in fiscal 2027. You'll want to check with your college's workforce development office in the coming months to learn what programs they're planning and when you can enroll apprentices.
Contact your nearest Kansas community or technical college and ask about apprenticeship programs in early childhood education or child care administration. Mention that you're interested in the apprenticeship grants authorized under HB2513. The college's workforce development or business outreach office can tell you whether they're developing a child care apprenticeship track and when you might participate.
This is a genuine opportunity to address staffing challenges while helping apprentices build careers—and it's funded by the state, not your operating budget.
Source: HB2513, Section 65(b), page 199; Kansas Legislature.