The 2025 legislative session was a non-budget year, but several bills related to early childhood were passed.
After years of advocacy, advocates and policymakers successfully passed HB 90, which allows for the establishment and licensing of freestanding birth centers in Kentucky. By removing certificate of need requirements, it offers families a safe and equitable alternative to hospital settings for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. Not only do freestanding birthing centers remove barriers to care for women with low-risk pregnancies, research shows that they use fewer medical interventions and achieve better outcomes than hospitals on quality measures such as cesarean rate for low-risk women, elective delivery prior to 39 weeks, and breastfeeding. There is also potential for reduced cost based on The Strong Start for Newborns and Mothers program, which has shown savings of about $2,000 per birth at birthing centers. Although this policy is applicable across all communities in the state, 46% of Kentucky counties, especially in rural areas, are considered maternity care deserts without access to birthing facilities or maternity care providers. By exempting freestanding alternative birthing centers from the certificate of need requirement, these women of child bearing age in these communities will have a new option to support childbirth and newborn care using a midwifery and wellness model in a licensed facility.
The 2025 Kentucky legislative session enacted SB 9, which mandates that all public-school districts provide up to 30 days of paid maternity leave for employees who give birth. The maternity leave is to be used before any other accrued leave and does not convert to sick leave if unused. While the bill sets a minimum standard for maternity leave, it encourages districts to offer more if they choose.
In 2025, the Kentucky General Assembly enacted HB 240, which represents a significant policy shift aimed at early identification and intervention for students struggling with literacy, with the goal of improving long-term educational outcomes. Specifically, it focuses on enhancing early literacy and academic preparedness for kindergarten and first-grade students. The bill mandates the administration of universal screeners and outlines criteria for student retention based on not making adequate academic progress by the end of kindergarten and first grade. For students retained in kindergarten or first grade, schools must reevaluate and adjust their reading improvement plans to address specific learning needs and support academic development. Students who spend an additional year in the same grade can advance through the primary program when it is determined to be in their best interest, allowing for individualized progression based on readiness. Although the governor vetoed the bill on March 26, 2025, the legislature overrode the veto on March 27, 2025, making it law as Acts Chapter 103. While the intent of this bill is to promote early literacy and positive academic outcomes, there are potential harmful impacts to young students due to retention, which makes this only a qualified win.
After the session ended, Kentucky’s governor took administrative action to create a new category of paid parental leave for state workers through 101 KAR 2:102 and 101 KAR 3:015. Under these regulations, state workers would be eligible for up to six weeks of paid leave once every 10 years for the birth, adoption, or placement of a child through foster care. This new benefit also allows for the option of using the six weeks of paid leave for a medical condition within the same 10-year timeframe.
Advocates also had several defensive successes, including the defeat of HB 221, which was introduced to establish specific square footage requirements for licensed child-care centers. The bill would have mandated that each child-care center must provide a minimum of 35 square feet of indoor space per child, inclusive of bathrooms and hallways exclusively used by enrolled children. This would have effectively lowered the classroom square footage requirements below the current 35 square feet per child requirement for classrooms, which could result in risks to safety. Strong advocacy on the negative impacts of the proposal led to the bill’s ultimate failure to pass.
