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

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.

Nearly 1 out of every 5 children in the United States has a special health care

Supporting a heart-healthy lifestyle early in life will help lower a child's cardiovascular risk for disease as they age and reinforce continued healthy behaviors later in

Refreshing policies for the new year can give a program an array of benefits. Creating policies for child care is essential to creating high-quality and long-standing programs, but that is only the first step.

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.

As a family child care provider, it’s important for you to become familiar with all the IRS requirements for filing your

This time of year, many of us reflect on the previous year and set resolutions or goals for the upcoming year! Regardless of your feelings about New Year's resolutions, it's a great idea to set professional goals for yourself and your child care business in 2024!

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.

With all the great reasons to incorporate seasonal foods into your program's menu, it's easy to see that seasonal recipes are good for your children's mind and appetite!

Many people, including educators, are becoming more aware of the impact of implicit bias in early childhood. These biases limit children’s opportunities to reach their full potential, and their learning is negatively impacted. Without addressing these biases, high-quality early

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

There’s a lot of great things to celebrate during this time of year! When planning your holiday parties, do you think about the kids with food allergies in your

Child care administrators and teachers have to juggle a lot on a daily basis. Not only are they teaching young minds, but they’re also managing family communications, billing and enrollment, and everything in between. It can be challenging for families to find a program that does it all

Playground was purpose-built for child care providers to reduce tedious administrative work and free them to focus on what matters most — providing quality care for children.

Early childhood professionals need and deserve respect and support for the critically important work they do. Investing in state’s our early care and education professionals is critical to stemming the loss of child care spots and expanding access to families throughout the