News and Insights

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

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!

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

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

Have you ever had a cavity? According to the CDC, more than 1 in 5 children aged 2 to 5 years has at least one cavity in their baby teeth. That’s a

The dining table in your child care program is an opportunity for so many positive interactions from practicing social cues through conversation, to trying new foods, to children learning responsibility with a job like setting the

The Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition maintains a list of child care providers across our state who have been designated as breastfeeding friendly.

Buckling up throughout your pregnancy is the single most effective step you can take to protect yourself and your unborn child during a

Cooking with children can be both fun and exhausting! Despite the time and patience required, making snacks or meals with your kids pays off for everyone

Making physical activity fun ensures that your kids will enjoy the benefits of being active throughout their

Add a little bit of homegrown flavor to your child care program’s kitchen

It is important you know the health history and conditions of the children in your child care program so you can help keep them safe and appropriately meet their

It can be challenging to know what you can do to best support yourself, your staff, and your children during hard

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

There are some simple steps you can take to prepare yourself, your family, and the children you care

Kids with cavities miss school and have missed opportunities. Pain and infection from untreated cavities can lead to problems with eating, speaking, and

Maintaining a healthy weight has positive effects on all of our body systems and sets an excellent example for those around

Child care providers have a unique opportunity to play a critical role in preventing and early identification of birth defects.

Disease mitigation strategies are some of the most important things providers can do to help keep illness at

It can be hard to know exactly when to exclude a child for illness, especially when it comes to runny noses and

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the

You can create a policy for your program that protects children from smoke exposure and ensures that staff do not model tobacco use in front of the children.

Sleeping can be a high-risk activity, especially for children under the age of one year – even more so if careful attention is not paid to the sleeping environment.

Did you know that children in child care receive an average 40% of their daily calories while in the child care

What could be better than riding a bicycle on a beautiful, sunny day? Besides being a whole lot of fun, biking is great exercise and reduces stress. Plus, you can do it together as a

Mealtime creates plenty of wonderful opportunities to provide children with education and social-emotional development.

Providers serve millions of meals to Kansas kids each year through programs like the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), universal school lunch and breakfast, and summer

If you’re interested in starting a wellness program at your child care facility, consider these tips and

Our government should prioritize health policy that gives every Kansas kid the opportunity to grow up healthy and

General hygiene guidelines such as sanitizing, disinfecting, and excluding for signs/symptoms of illness in the Early Child Care Environment are still effective ways to prevent disease

Your position comes with great responsibility for little ones. But have you forgotten about the great responsibility you have for

Unfortunately, our everyday environments, including child care settings, may expose us to dangerous pesticides and lead, among other environmental hazards, that can impede a child’s mental or physical

Encouraging parents to keep their child’s vaccinations up to date is an important way to ensure that the children in your program remain healthy and protected against serious

Strengthening ECE systems for health takes time, but we have identified a few key strategies to help state and local leaders get

In June 2022, the FDA granted emergency authorization to both Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5 years of age. Both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend all eligible infants and children without contraindications get vaccinated. The COVID-19

Publicado original mente en la edición de primavera de 2022 de Kansas Child Magazine. Como padres de familia nuestro mas grande deseo es poder proteger de nuestros pequeños de todo mal y darles una buena educación para un futuro lleno de oportunidades. El bienestar de nuestros

Article by Kansas Infant Death and SIDS Network An article about new research on SIDS that has been gaining traction in the Safe Sleep Community. This research may lead to greater ability to screen risk of SIDS, but that is only a small portion of sleep-related deaths. The recent

By Susan Owens, Early Care and Education Specialist, The Family Conservancy Originally published in the Summer 2021 Issue of Kansas Child magazine Environment plays a crucial role in supporting child development. But how can you tell if the changes you make to the child care environment

By Vicki Roper, Director, Prevent Child Abuse Kansas, for the Fall 2020 Issue of Kansas Child magazine. The outbreak of the coronavirus has changed our world – dramatically – and rapidly. Although the risk to the physical health of young children appears to be low, their risk of

By Georgia Thompson, Senior Program & Policy Analyst, Nemours and Rebekah Duchette, Senior State Systems Specialist, Nemours for the Summer 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Just as young children need supportive relationships as they grow and develop, adults also benefit from

Your child means the world to you, and you do all you can to make sure they have what they need to be healthy and happy. You shouldn’t have to worry about your child’s health and safety while you work, go to school, or pursue your goals. There’s much your child care provider can do

We partner with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to launch the next phase of consultations for licensed child care