By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
When Gov. Laura Kelly attended the groundbreaking of the new childcare facility in Great Bend in July, she spoke of the relationship between worker shortages and childcare shortages. In Barton County alone, she said, there is a shortage of more than 800 childcare slots. Felicia Fyler, a childcare licensing specialist at the Barton County Health Department, said that shortage extends to the six counties she oversees.
"There are about 125 of them right now," she said. "We are still very low on numbers and there's still a huge need for childcare."
The good news is the state is always accepting applications for home childcare centers. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and a high school graduate or the equivalent. Getting a license begins with a simple phone call.
"The first step for becoming a licensed childcare provider is to call up to the health department and set up a time with me to do an orientation," said Fyler. "In the orientation, we talk about the regulations they have to follow and all the trainings that are necessary to get started. We talk a little bit about the background check they have to go through as well."
To become licensed, providers must pass a background check, be CPR certified, and their homes must pass a fire inspection by the state fire marshal's office. Licensed providers are also subject to annual inspections. Read more about the licensing requirements at the Barton County Health Department's website, or the Kansas Department of Health and Environment website. Anyone with questions can contact Fyler by calling (620) 793-1902.