News and Insights

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.  Is Your Community Interested in Working to Build Child Care Capacity? We can help with funding and technical assistance. Child Care Aware of Kansas, in partnership with the Kansas Department for Children and

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.  As providers, we are often encouraged to advocate and become involved in issues that affect the children and families we serve. For a busy family child care provider, what does that look like exactly? When I started

By Mary Daniels, Child Care Health Consultant, Child Care Aware of Kansas. A New year often brings resolutions for weight loss and healthier lifestyles. For many, this is a recurring goal that we work toward yearly, and it is an important goal! National Healthy Weight Week was designated

By Erica Goldsby and Jessica Strawn, Child Care Health Consultant Nurses, Child Care Aware of Kansas. January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month. Child care providers have a unique opportunity to play a critical role in preventing and early identification of birth defects. As a

Over the past few years, the impact of COVID and record inflation rates — combined with systemic inequities and fragmented systems — have exacerbated stress and instability for children, parents, and caregivers.

How We Can Build a Better System for Kansas Parents By Jessica Herrera Russell, Senior Communications Manager, Kansas Action for Children. Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. This past spring, the Kansas Legislature took a significant step toward

By Erica Goldsby and Jessica Strawn, Child Care Health Consultant Nurses, Child Care Aware of Kansas. RSV Prevention in Your Program and How CCHC Can Help While seasonal illnesses are not new, this year there seems to be an unusually high spread of RSV and other diseases. You may have

By Pam Noble, Assistant Director for Prevent Child Abuse Kansas, Kansas Children’s Service League. Originally Published in the Fall 2022 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) works to prevent childhood abuse and neglect, offer family support, improve

By: Erica McGinley & Jessica Strawn, Child Care Aware of Kansas, Child Care Nurse Consultants. Nap or rest time should be peaceful for children and their caregivers.  However, it’s not a completely carefree part of the daily schedule.  Sleeping can be a high-risk activity,

By Susan Pearson, Early Care and Education Specialist, Child Care Aware of Kansas. Stretch Your Child Care Budget Temporarily As a business owner, you rely on money to keep your expenses covered and your doors open. Ideally, you would always make a profit too. Like other businesses, your

By Jill Ladd, Assistant Director, Child Nutrition & Wellness, Kansas State Department of Education. Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. The Data Did you know that children in child care receive an average 40% of their daily calories while in the

How to Take Action Against Child Hunger in Kansas By Martha Terhaar, Thriving Advocate, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Even here in the breadbasket of the world, one in six Kansas kids experience food

David Jordan, President, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund (Health Fund). Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Using Proven Early Childhood Interventions to Combat ACES It’s true what they say: children don’t come with an instruction manual.

By Andrew Hodgson, Nutrition Coordinator, Child Start, Inc. Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. More than half of medium and large companies operate wellness programs, which can boost morale and productivity, support general health, complement culture,

Top 5 Policies to Promote Children’s Health in Kansas By Heather Braum, Health policy advisor, Kansas Action for Children. Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Policy choices in Kansas can change the health outcomes of Kansas kids for the better — or

By Erica McGinley and Jessica Strawn, Child Care Nurse Consultants, Child Care Aware of Kansas. World Health Organization declared Monkeypox to be a Public Health Emergency On July 23rd, the World Health Organization declared Monkeypox to be a Public Health Emergency. Shortly following

Erica McGinley, Child Care Nurse Consultant, Child Care Aware of Kansas. Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. What’s the last thing you did simply because you enjoyed it? If it’s hard to answer this question, you’re not alone. Child care providers

Easy Ways to Improve Safety in Child Care Settings By Kathy Attar, Program Manager, Eco-Healthy Child Care®, Children’s Environmental Health Network. Originally published in the Summer 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Unfortunately, our everyday environments, including child care

By Erica McGinley and Jessica Strawn, Child Care Nurse Consultants, Child Care Aware of Kansas. 8 FAQs about Vaccinations in Early Care & Education As a child care provider, you want to keep your business running smoothly and safely. Encouraging parents to keep their child’s

How the child care system can improve health today and tomorrow. By Georgia S. Thompson and Roshelle Payes, Nemours Children’s Health Early care and education (ECE) professionals are the original influencers. After parents and family, children look to the other significant adults in

By Jennifer Burgardt, Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist, Child Care Aware of Kansas As defined by Webster’s dictionary, JOY is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or to experience intense pleasure or delight. Does this exist within you? Your program? Or

In June 2022, the FDA granted emergency authorization to both Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5 years of age. Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend all eligible infants and children without contraindications get vaccinated. The COVID-19

Starting a Child Care Business Just Got Way Easier. By Beth Dibben, Child Care Health Consultant, Child Start. Originally published in the Spring 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. A child care provider has two primary responsibilities. The first is the obvious one: caring for and

An Innovative Grant/Loan Hybrid to Attract New Providers By Kelly Gourley, Executive Director, Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation. Originally published in the Spring 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Like so many other communities across the state,  Lincoln County has

Bridget Banks, Child Care Health Consultant, Child Care Aware of Kansas. Originally published in the Spring 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Recruiting and Retaining Culturally Responsive Staff in Early Childhood Education Settings For the first time in history, we as a nation are

Child Care Supply and Demand in Kansas: What to Know and How to Be Part of the Solution A child’s earliest experiences lay the foundation for lifelong learning, well-being, and success. Quality early care and education opportunities provide the nurturing environments and relationships

By Hannah McGahey, Workforce Coordinator, Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund and Sara Gardner, Assistant Director, KU Center for Public Partnerships and Research. Originally published in the Spring 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. From 2017 to early 2020, Kansas

By Linda K Smith, Director of Early Childhood Initiative, Bipartisan Policy Center. Originally published in the Spring 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed what any working parent in America already knew to be true – that the early childhood years hold

By Erica Figueroa, Project Coordinator on the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Impact Project Article originally published in the Spring 2020 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Caregivers play an integral role in assisting children achieve healthy social-emotional development.

by Callie Hoffman, Executive Director, Kansas Parents as Teachers Association (KPATA). Originally published in the Winter 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. We all have things in life that aggravate or annoy us, and we all have different ways of managing those feelings of

Concordia School District Provides Child Care Through Community Collaboration By Krystal Breese, Director of Curriculum/Assessment, USD 333 , originally published in the Winter 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Early childhood experiences are the foundation for a student’s future