News and Insights

Baby Steps is an innovative pilot that seeks not only to offset the revenue lost by caring for infants and toddlers, but also to bring family child care providers’ incomes closer to what might be considered a “livable”

Barton County is working overtime to build community support for its child care, and hopes to rewrite their narrative.

Families in this county must work to survive and must have child care to do so, yet child care is often problematically undervalued as a field. This leads to a lack of support for child care providers and families, ultimately resulting in a lack of available and affordable child care

In Crawford County, Kansas, providers, families, and coalitions are working together to make the child care system work for all members of its community. With more than 35,000 inhabitants and seated in Southeastern Kansas, this is a county that has a high need for affordable, readily

Ford County, Kansas, represents both booming business and dire need for diverse, affordable, and available child care

A recent influx of young families returning to this small, rural community has strained the local child care system. With many bringing infants who require more care, the county faces a critical shortage of child care slots to meet growing

In Labette County, residents like coalition leader Kandy, parents Travis and Katrina, and veteran child care provider Kim highlight a critical issue: a severe shortage of child care options. They agree that urgent action is needed to close the gap between families in need and the limited

In Neosho County, nestled in Southeastern Kansas, lies the city of Chanute. With just over 8,500 inhabitants, Chanute is home to many people seeking available and affordable child care. However, with a poverty rate of 18.8% (a rate 25% higher than the rest of Neosho County, and 1.5 times

As Seward County contends with the child care needs of its citizens, there is much hope that presents itself at every turn. Its coalition leaders, families, and providers each see that there is more to be done, and they have the grit and gumption that it will take to continue to advocate

Christi Smith has been named as the new executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas (CCAKS). Board President Kari Mailloux made the announcement following an extensive

The rewards of offering child care benefits to employees are undeniable for these businesses. Each of these representatives shared that child care benefits were primarily used as a recruitment tool, but they have seen further benefits for the businesses themselves in terms of retention,

Early care and education professionals have historically faced substantial obstacles when it comes to maintaining a healthy and motivated

An engaged community group created a tax credit toolkit for Kansas

As we move into a new year, communities all over Kansas are working to implement local solutions to the child care crisis.

Throughout Kansas, numerous communities are seeking increased child care options. Often, these enhancements require collaborative community efforts to tackle local obstacles that hinder the availability of child care slots.

Creating a plan to increase child care capacity in your community involves a thoughtful and strategic approach. This step-by-step guide was created to help your coalition develop an effective plan.

Your gift is a powerful investment in ensuring Kansas has access to high-quality child care for generations to

In Kansas, just over 84,000 young children are potentially in need of child care. The shortage of affordable, high-quality child care in our state has far-reaching impacts on parents, employers, and communities across the state. Although these issues can be intimidating at first glance,

Our state can’t experience economic growth unless we have someone caring for our children — and unless our children’s care prepares them to be thriving

This problem affects tens of thousands of Kansans — and limits their ability to participate in the workforce. In many cases, a parent chooses to exit the workforce to care for their

Task forces in Marion County and Anderson County took action to add more child care seats for local

Recognizing the major need in the community and among Creekstone’s workforce, the company is opening an on-site child care center — adding another 116 spots to the county’s licensed child care capacity.

Black History Month provides an opportunity, if done right, for children to learn about the pivotal role that Black people have played in U.S.

As the years pass, affordable, quality child care only seems to grow more rare. How did we get here? What can we do as parents to help alleviate the child care

Small incremental changes on the local level are paving the way for larger shifts, and those advances are starting to add up across the

Two grants are available to Kansas communities working to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care. The grants are based on the needs of your community and your level of

All Kansas businesses can apply to receive a state income tax credit for providing child care for employees or helping employees pay for other child

Advocacy is not one-size-fits all. You can use your talents and your experience to make a

Whether your community is already engaged in capacity building efforts, or still needs to form a coalition, the Go Team coordinator will connect

We are witnessing a sea change in early childhood, with providers and systems leaders embracing more holistic approaches to improving the health, learning, and well-being of our youngest children and their

We must continue educating lawmakers about the real challenges that parents in this state are facing. When we help families overcome those challenges, more kids will be fed and cared for in loving, nurturing environments.