Child Care Provider Programs

Our consultants provide coaching, consulting, technical assistance, mentoring, and advising.

The Ideas & Solutions blog is intended to provide a forum for the discussion of child care and early education issues and ideas. We hope to provoke thoughtful discussions within the field and to help those outside the field gain a better understanding of priorities and concerns.

Child Care Health Consultant Network

The Child Care Health Consultant Network is grounded in the belief that consistent statewide child care health consultation services positively impact the quality of care children receive in early care and education/child care settings. When early educators engage in coaching consultation with Child Care Health Consultants health and safety outcomes for children improve. A data-informed, provider-advised, continuum of services is the foundation of the model. Health consultation is aligned with Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs (CFOC) and the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness’s Child Care Health Consultant Competencies.

Child Care Health Consultants offer a continuum of services to child care providers, beginning with recruitment and early support for new professionals as they navigate the licensing process. Structured goal-setting and ongoing consultation to enhance health and safety are available to child care providers that have completed the licensing process and have established their businesses. Focused consultation is also available for child care providers that desire or require additional support for the following:

1) to address licensing compliance issues;

2) to establish sound emergency preparedness practices; or

3) to build capacity around health equity and inclusion within early care and education settings.

Two Child Care Nurse Consultants are also available to provide focused medical consultation as necessary throughout the state. Network services are available in English and in Spanish.

Program Administration Support

Focused on business practices, Program Administration Support services are delivered via individualized coaching and consultation from Links to Quality Community Consultants positioned throughout the state and are available to child care providers of all license types. In essence, Links to Quality Community Consultants serve as the business partners child care programs need to not only survive, but to thrive through utilization of solid business practices that create stability in the ever-changing child care landscape.

Child care providers initiate participation in Program Administration Support services by completing a brief intake process designed to capture critical information that offers a customized, inclusive experience for child care providers of all types. The role of the Links to Quality Community Consultants is flexible and shaped by the unique needs of each participant; Consultants may provide several supports, including coaching, consulting, technical assistance, mentoring, and advising. Completion of Program Administration Support activities culminates in successful implementation of goals within the Quality Improvement Plan. Network services are available in English and in Spanish.

Child Care Aware of Kansas

Child Care Aware of Kansas connects everyone with a stake in child care — parents, child care providers, businesses, local and state leaders, and community members — to the information and ideas they need to take action. We provide opportunities, connections, and support for Kansans to envision what a better child care system can look like for them. Working within a network of Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, we also connect caregivers and providers to the information and support they need.