A blog from Child Care Aware of Kansas
With articles by leaders and experts in the field — as well as our experienced staff — the blog offers the latest research, innovative ideas, and proven solutions related to early care and education in Kansas.
Plus, we’ve got practical tips for parents and providers about how to offer young children the best possible start in life.
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” wage.
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 available, and quality child
Ford County, Kansas, represents both booming business and dire need for diverse, affordable, and available child care options.
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 demand.
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 number of providers.
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 higher
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
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 search.
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, profit, company culture, and community impact.
Early care and education professionals have historically faced substantial obstacles when it comes to maintaining a healthy and motivated workforce.
The information we gather is used to inform parents about child care programs that have openings for their child(ren), based on the parent’s needs.
As childcare providers, we are great at making sure that the children we are tasked with taking care of are warm, dry, fed and are safe. Do you have a plan as the provider if you have a medical emergency?
Implementing mindfulness in early childhood programs and family environments can have profound effects on children’s emotional wellbeing, cognitive development, and overall resilience.
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