News and Insights

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.  What is Quality Child Care? Child care professionals often define quality child care as offering a safe, educational, nurturing atmosphere in a language-rich environment that helps children develop socially,

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.  Program Administration Makes Child Care Provider’ Jobs Easier Everyone needs support from other people, including child care providers. You likely get support from your community, your family and friends,

Source: Tips for Taxes: A Tip Sheet for CCR&R’s on 2022 Child Care Taxes, Child Care Aware of America. Below, find a listing of key tax breaks and credits, along with a brief description, that families and/or child care providers may be able to take advantage of. Tax Benefits

By Nichelle Adams, Early Education and Child Care Services Manager, Kansas Department for Children and Families. Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. To be initially eligible for Child Care Assistance, a family of four can make nearly 70,000 a year. Many

By Reann Parker, Director, Oak Grove School and Katrina DeClue, Links to Quality Community Consultant, Child Care Aware of Kansas. Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. I recently sat down with Reann Parker, director of Oak Grove School in Manhattan,

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

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 Ashley Sias, Child Care Health Consultant, Child Care Aware of Kansas. Back-to-School Blues: Preparing for Children to Leave Your Program Transitions are inevitable in early childhood education, but when your program cares for school-age children, you live and breathe transitions.

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

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

By Jordan Christian, Public Service Executive, Kansas Department of Education & Erica Figueroa, Research Project Coordinator, Center for Public Partnerships and Research, University of Kansas. Originally published in the Winter 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. The early years of a

By Jillian Hoefer, Director, Wichita State University Child Development Center. Article originally published in the Winter 2022 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine.   Welcoming the Community into Your Child Care Program As child care providers, we have responsibilities beyond taking

Discussing child care experiences at home strengthens kids’ brain connections. Their social and emotional development is enhanced when parents and caregivers expand on kids’ experiences by asking questions, using a variety of words, and naming feelings and emotions. Parents

By Rachelle Soden, Training Manager, Kansas Children’s Service League. Originally published in the Spring 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Connections matter in early childhood. Early care and education professionals — including child care providers, preschool teachers, and

By John Presley Originally published in the Spring 2020 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Attachment is a word in mental health circles that has taken on a dominant connotation as relating to disruptions and disorders of relationships, particularly regarding the development of

By Tom Copeland, Trainer, Author and Advocate for Family Child Care Originally published in the Spring 2021 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Most family child care providers know they should be saving more money for their retirement. At the end of the month, though, there is usually

By Tom Copeland, Trainer, Author and Advocate for Family Child Care Originally published in the Spring 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine Family child care providers start their businesses because they love children and want to care for them. But many providers quit because they can’t

By Kim Lawson, Preschool teacher, Bennington Grade School Orginally published in the Fall 2020 Issue of Kansas Child magazine Children are not born with the skills to self-regulate. We instinctively help babies soothe by rocking, bouncing, back rubs, and singing. As children grow into

By Susan Owens, Early Care and Education Specialist, The Family Conservancy Originally published in the Summer 2021 Issue of Kansas Child magazine Environment plays a crucial role in supporting child development. But how can you tell if the changes you make to the child care environment