News and Insights

In response to a critical shortage of 84,000 child care slots in the state, Child Care Aware of Kansas announced a new partnership with Healthy Blue Kansas to expand start-up stipends and health and safety grants for child care providers entering the profession.

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”

We are so grateful that our program uses a child care management system, and we recommend it to all early care and education professionals. It makes the transition between home and child care much

Our state can’t experience economic growth unless we have someone caring for our children — and unless our children’s care prepares them to be thriving

Child Care Aware of Kansas and The Patterson Family Foundation Partner to Ease Child Care Crisis FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Kelly Davydov 1-855-750-3343 April 10, 2023 Across Kansas, families with young children are struggling to find affordable, high-quality child care that meets their

Task forces in Marion County qnd Anderson County took action to add more child care seats for local

As the years pass, affordable, quality child care only seems to grow more rare. How did we get here? What can we do as parents to help alleviate the child care

Small incremental changes on the local level are paving the way for larger shifts, and those advances are starting to add up across the

Two grants are available to Kansas communities working to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care. The grants are based on the needs of your community and your level of

Advocacy is not one-size-fits all. You can use your talents and your experience to make a

Whether your community is already engaged in capacity building efforts, or still needs to form a coalition, the Go Team coordinator will connect

We are witnessing a sea change in early childhood, with providers and systems leaders embracing more holistic approaches to improving the health, learning, and well-being of our youngest children and their

The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) recently increased the initial eligibility income to 250% of the federal poverty level, which is much higher than many people realize.

The Administration for Children and Families released new data showing that child care stabilization funds provided in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) have served more than 200,000 child care providers, impacting as many as 9.5 million

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

How a Community Council on Child Care Can Help Families Succeed As parents and providers know well, each school year presents new challenges for child care programs. Providers are often forced to make difficult decisions about how to operate their business, care for the children

After a decade of focusing primarily on children with special health care needs, the FAC has expanded to address the needs of four more populations: women/moms, early childhood, children, and

Because the costs and complexities of opening a child care center are so burdensome, the community decided to incentivize people to start up new in-home facilities.

Across the state, Kansas communities are cobbling together a patchwork of public and private solutions to expand the supply of child care.

Behind the Scenes of the CCHC Network with Two Kansas Providers Providers at a large child care center and a small group home, both with decades of experience,  explain what they gained from the Child Care Health Consultation service. Kim Vanderfohe, director of Butterfly Funhouse

Juneteenth (short for June Nineteenth), which commemorates the end of slavery in this country, is considered one of the longest-running African American holidays.

To ensure that all children in ECE programs are receiving the best possible start in life, it’s imperative to recruit and retain staff who are culturally responsive and willing to engage diverse

Child Care Supply and Demand in Kansas: What to Know and How to Be Part of the Solution A child’s earliest experiences lay the foundation for lifelong learning, well-being, and success. Quality early care and education opportunities provide the nurturing environments and relationships

We have always wanted an easier way for providers to find training — and more of it — wherever they are located in the Kansas City

USD 333 is now operating a fully licensed group day care home for children from birth through age 5, with two highly qualified providers on

By Berni Howe, Lead Training and Technical Assistant Specialist, KCCTO and Tara Glanton, Training and Technical Assistant Specialist, KCCTO. Article originally published in the Winter 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Elevating Provider Voices 2020 has been robust, with quick shifts

The Voices That Should Inform Change-Process In Our Child Care System By Peggy Kelly, Executive Director, Kansas Head Start Association. Originally published in the Winter 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Long before COVID-19 completely redesigned our lives and view of what

By, Michelle Stover Wright, M.S., Evaluation and Research BUILD Initiative; Aisha Ray, Ph.D., Distinguished Fellow, BUILD Initiative; Sherri Killins Stewart Ed. D., Director of State Systems Alignment and Integration, Co-Director of State Services, BUILD Initiative Originally published in

By Teri Garstka, Associate Director, KU Center for Public Partnerships for the Spring 2021 Issue of Kansas Child magazine. It’s an exciting time to be a data enthusiast in Kansas!   We all want Kansas to be the best state for families to raise a child. To get there, we need

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

By Julia McBride, Vice President, Kansas Leadership Center Originally published in the Winter 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine If you aspire to launch more creative child care solutions, you know you need to get par­ents and child care providers involved. Don’t delay! Too many