News and Insights

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

Early care and education professionals have historically faced substantial obstacles when it comes to maintaining a healthy and motivated

In Kansas, just over 84,000 young children are potentially in need of child care. The shortage of affordable, high-quality child care in our state has far-reaching impacts on parents, employers, and communities across the state. Although these issues can be intimidating at first glance,

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

The Iron Triangle of Early Care and Education Finance is a simple formula to help busy child care providers stay on track.

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

Black History Month provides an opportunity, if done right, for children to learn about the pivotal role that Black people have played in U.S.

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

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

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

There is a growing body of research indicating that — when families are actively engaged in their child’s learning — children experience positive, lifelong

We must continue educating lawmakers about the real challenges that parents in this state are facing. When we help families overcome those challenges, more kids will be fed and cared for in loving, nurturing environments.

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

Since Head Start’s inception in 1965, the program has taken a holistic approach to working with the nation’s youngest children and their families.

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

Toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are major influences on a child’s overall development — affecting school readiness, student success, physical and mental health, and other

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

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.

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

Choosing between what’s best for their children and putting food on the table is a choice no parent should have to

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

Any parent of a young child will tell you child care is one of their single biggest considerations when it comes to accepting a job or staying with a

One of the most obvious ways to engage families is to involve them in day-to-day operations. You also want to make sure they have the opportunity to voice their concerns or

Policymakers can leverage public resources slated for child care to create a more equitable

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 John Presley Originally published in the Spring 2020 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Attachment is a word in mental health circles that has taken on a dominant connotation as relating to disruptions and disorders of relationships, particularly regarding the development of

By Tom Copeland, Trainer, Author and Advocate for Family Child Care Originally published in the Spring 2021 issue of Kansas Child Magazine. Most family child care providers know they should be saving more money for their retirement. At the end of the month, though, there is usually

By: Tracy Benson, President, Waters Center for Systems Thinking Originally published in the Winter 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine A System Is a Collection of Related Parts Having recently been absent, Marisa enthusiastically returned to school. Her teacher, Ms. Vicky, as she did with

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 Tom Copeland, Trainer, Author and Advocate for Family Child Care Originally published in the Spring 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine Family child care providers start their businesses because they love children and want to care for them. But many providers quit because they can’t

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

By Travis Rickford, Executive Director, LiveWell Northwest Kansas Originally published in the Winter 2021 Issue of Kansas Child Magazine Today, our rural way of life looks a little different as we adapt to new challenges presented by COVID-19. Our work environments look different, and we