As part of Child Care Aware of Kansas’ commitment to building a high-quality early care and education system, we work to ensure all child care providers:

• Have equitable access to resources and opportunities.
• Are prepared to meet the needs of children and families with diverse identities, cultures, abilities, and family structures.
• Offer culturally responsive and inclusive spaces for children, families, and staff to thrive.
• Support children in learning how to engage in and adapt to an increasingly diverse and connected world.

DEIA is an ongoing journey, not a destination. No matter where you are on that journey, we can help you engage in these areas:

• Personal: Being aware of how your own experiences and biases influence actions and decisions will improve how you interact with children, families, and staff in respectful and supportive ways.
• Relationships: Authentically demonstrating that each person matters by listening and meeting people where they are will increase engagement and promote positive outcomes for everyone.
• Environment: Designing spaces that represent diversity and increase access will improve learning and community support for your business.

To support you with your DEIA journey, we provide:

• Education on topics, including definitions of key concepts, historical inequities, and cultural responsiveness.
• Assistance with changes that create equitable opportunities for children to learn and staff to do their best work.
• Support in meeting specific family needs, such as translation of information to other languages.
• Curriculum and resources to introduce DEIA concepts with young kids and staff.
• Recruiting, networking, and business support for professionals from underserved communities.

To get started, call us at 855-750-3343 or email us at info@ks.childcareaware.org. Based on your needs, we can connect you with our health equity consultant or another team member. Together we can help you take small steps that will have a big impact on how you provide care and run your business.