State lawmakers in Frankfort briefly considered a bill dubbed the Horizons Act.

It was an ambitious $300 million plan to support Kentucky's child care industry.

The bill passed out of a Senate committee but never received a vote on the Senate floor.

State lawmakers did appropriate more than 100 million for early childhood.

But some providers worry if it's enough to keep them in business.

Our Clayton Dalton visited a Lexington preschool to get their take.

Should I share my concern?

Child care is an essential part of the American economy.

Preschools keep parents in the workforce and provide essential care for healthy, happy babies.

Childcare is important for so many reasons by having childcare and different options of childcare.

It enables family to make decisions for what's best for their family.

They feel supported, therefore they are able to go and be work ready.

They're not worrying What is my toddler doing or what's going on with my toddler.

They know they're here.

They drop them off every day.

They see a friendly face.

Denise Means House, a preschool director in Lexington, says childcare workers are vital.

We are more than a babysitter.

For us, that's a bad word.

And daycare is a bad word.

We are early childhood educators.

This is our career.

It's not just a job and it's knowing that you've got one kiddo that needs help with their feeding skills.

You've got one kiddo that might need help with their self, help to dress themselves.

We are going to meet them wherever they are.

Child care centers across the country and right here in the Commonwealth are struggling to stay out of the red.

It's hard when you're running on that budget.

What happens if you get a leak in the ceiling?

What happens if your front door system's not working?

We have to make sure that those things are in good repair at all times and making sure we have those dollars.

And at the same time, families are struggling to find a facility that will take their child.

For us, we get phone calls every day, and it's heart wrenching to hear these families that call on the phone and say, What do you mean you don't have a spot?

When would you have a spot available?

We have wait list on every single age group that we have.

And it's very hard.

We're trying to open a new preschool classroom.

It'll give us 12 more children.

But those things take time.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, emergency money from the federal government helped keep facilities open.

But that money has dried up in other states like Idaho, Kansas and North Carolina have already seen mass closures.

If that happens in Kentucky, it will have serious consequences.

We will see families that leave the workforce.

And then you're going to have a domino effect.

At a place like growing together, preschool, closing their doors could be devastating for families and staff alike.

You would have 130 children without services.

You would see 40 staff without employment.

Right now based on their rate of pay.

They struggle to put gas in the car to get a bag of groceries to feed their families at home.

And it's really scary to think that after 40 plus years that we wouldn't be here.

It's really scary to even entertain the thought.

Inaccessible childcare means more kids won't be ready for kindergarten.

And we want them to play.

We want them to learn.

We want them to feel secure in who they are and how they are.

And they don't magically begin learning at kindergarten.

These kiddos, they are learning in utero.

They learn from the time they come in.

We get to see the first walk.

The first crawl.

The first time they recognize their name or write their name.

So for us, that's the golden nugget.

There are many obstacles facing the childcare industry, and experts agree there's no quick fix.

But one thing is clear.

Communities depend on childcare.

The security that we give the families and the ability for them to be able to work.

I think that we are an intricate part of what happens within our communities and I think we bring a lot of value to that.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Clayton Hanson.