News and Insights

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. The Child Care Gap Quality, accessible, affordable child care contributes to the prosperity of Kansas today and tomorrow.  This statement has never been more true than it is today — a conclusion supported by the

The Importance of Sleep March 17, 2023 is not just a day to wear green!  It’s also a nationally recognized day to acknowledge the many health benefits of sleep. How Does Sleep Impact Children? Sleep is a critical component of health for children.  The amount of sleep a child

Preparing for Severe Weather in Kansas As severe weather season approaches us in Kansas, there are some simple steps you can take to prepare yourself, your family, and the children you care for, to keep them safe. Children are physically and emotionally dependent on their caregivers and

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Access to Quality Child Care When we ensure all families have access to quality child care options — regardless of their income level or where they live — we build the critical infrastructure necessary for

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Where is the Workforce? Everywhere you go these days, you hear a version of the same question: where is the workforce? In coffee shops, around kitchen tables, and in boardrooms across the country, people are

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. How to Find Quality Care Being a parent is hard enough. You shouldn’t have to worry about finding the right kind of care for your child while you work, go to school, or pursue your goals. Your child means the

Black History Month Black History Month is far too often treated as a drive by cultural experience, especially in our nation’s classrooms. We “try on” the culture for the month (in some cases a couple of days out of the month) and then go back to business as usual. Black history

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.  The Challenges We Face At 1:30 a.m., I wake up to my phone buzzing with a new text message. Day care will be closed tomorrow due to illness. I spend the next several hours tossing and turning, wondering

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.  How Kansas Communities are Expanding Access to Child Care Many think the child care system is too broken to change. Kansas communities are proving  the naysayers wrong. Small incremental changes on the

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.  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,

The Benefits of Toothbrushing February is National Children’s Dental Health Month! This is the perfect time to fine tune your efforts towards ensuring that the children in your care maintain proper oral hygiene. Did you know that cavities are one of the most common chronic diseases of

Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.  Child Care Aware of Kansas Has You Covered! Considering child care as a career opportunity can be overwhelming, but never fear! Child Care Aware of Kansas has you covered! Our child care health consultants are ready

Originally published in the Winter 2023 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. The most common challenge parents face when searching for child care is cost. In Kansas, the average monthly cost for infant care is $680 per child in a home care environment and $1,259 in a child care center. The

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

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 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.

By Erica Goldsby and Jessica Strawn, Child Care Health Consultant Nurses, Child Care Aware of Kansas. Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) asked the Biden administration to declare an emergency to support a national response to the alarming surge of

Impactful support requires intentional and authentic family engagement practices. By Dr. Carla Whiteside-Hicks, Director of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Early Childhood Programs, Kansas Department for Children and Families. Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of

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

Por Stephanie Boone, supervisora estatal de información y referencias, Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL). Publicado originalmente en la edición de otoño de Kansas Child Magazine. Un nino cambian tu vida. Yo pienso que todos podemos estar de acuerdo, cuando un nino entra en

By Pam Noble, Subdirectora de los programas de Prevención del Abuso Infantil en Kansas, La Liga de Servicio Infantil de Kansas. Publicado originalmente en la edición de otoño de 2023 de Kansas Child Magazine. Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) Kansas Children’s Service

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

A statewide resource for parents’ most challenging moments By Stephanie Boone, Statewide Information and Referral Supervisor, Kansas Children’s Service League. Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. A child changes your life. I think we can all agree on

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

Stronger Families = Stronger Children: Head Start’s Holistic Approach to Early Education By Jennifer Adhima, MSW, Executive Director, Kansas Head Start Association. Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. The term “holistic,” according to the Oxford

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,