TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced that the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund received a $4 million preschool development grant for 2023 from birth to fifth from the Department of Health and Services Children’s and Families Administration humans of the United States. The grant will support the state’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the early childhood workforce, support the physical and emotional well-being of our children, and ensure we design an early childhood system that meets the needs of all Kansas families.
“We know that a child’s development from birth through age five is vital to their educational and life trajectory,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “This funding will enable us to plan and develop initiatives that strengthen our integrated early childhood system, with a focus on ensuring our most vulnerable children are prepared for preschool.”
The grant will support:
- A study on how to better coordinate the state’s delivery of early childhood services to create a leaner system that is easy to navigate for all families, especially low-income and vulnerable populations.
- Exploring a service delivery model that allows families to participate in the design of a responsive early childhood education and care system and to hold system accountability.
- Strengthening the recruitment and growth of the early childhood sector workforce.
- Exploration of a compensation reform plan based on the true cost of care, market conditions, and economic growth Kansas is experiencing.
“As the recipient of federal funding in 2018 and a three-year renewal grant in 2020, Kansas has amplified and expanded a continuum of services and supports to better meet the needs of Kansas children and their families,” Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet, said. “We are thrilled to receive this new award as it will allow us to take stock of our progress and design a future that ensures all Kansas children thrive.”
To learn more about the progress of the Kansas initiatives supported by this grant, visit kschildrenscabinet.org.
