TOPEKA, Kan. (KASB) – School leaders, educators and advocates and other Kansans will be able to provide input on the future of childcare and early childhood development through public meetings during the last week of June.
Gov. Laura Kelly’s Early Childhood Transition Task Force is holding a statewide community engagement tour to discuss the challenges communities face in supporting children through their earliest years.
The task force, which was created by Kelly in the first executive order of her second term, is charged with developing a plan for creating a cabinet-level agency dedicated to early childhood programs. Currently, programs and funding are spread across a wide range of other agencies, including the Department of Education.
“If we want to give our kids the best possible future, then we must give them the strongest possible start,” Kelly said. “Now, we want to hear from Kansans about what my administration and our partners can do to put Kansas on the path to having the most comprehensive, robust early childhood system in the country.”
The Task Force tour meetings are open to the public, with families, service and care providers, community leaders, and business representatives encouraged to attend. Meetings will include facilitated discussions on how the state is administering early childhood programs and how Kansans interact with the state’s governance system. Each meeting will be conducted with the assistance of The Hunt Institute, which has been providing support to the Task Force’s work.
Access to childcare and high-quality early childhood education in Kansas has become a major economic and education issue. Strengthening kindergarten readiness is one of the major goals of the State Board of Education’s Kansans Can vision.
Here is a link to the Governor’s Task Force webpage, which includes information about its work on the two meetings held so far.
The tour schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, June 27
9 a.m. Chanute—Neosho County Community College (Student Union), 800 W Fourteenth Street, Chanute, KS 66720
2 p.m. Wichita—Child Start, 1002 S. Oliver Street, Wichita, KS 67218
Wednesday, June 28
9 a.m. Garden City—Russell Child Development Center, 2735 N. Jennie Barker Road, Garden City, KS 67846
2 p.m. Hays—Rockwell Administrative Center,323 W 12th Street, Hays, KS 67601
5 p.m. Salina—Donna L. Vanier Children’s Center,155 N Oakdale Avenue, Salina, KS 67401
Thursday, June 29
9 a.m. Manhattan—Manhattan-Ogden School District—College Hill Early Learning Center, 2600 Kimball Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502
1 p.m. Topeka—Bishop Professional Development Center, 3601 SW 31st Street, Topeka, KS 66614
Friday, June 30
10 a.m. Overland Park—Shawnee Mission School District—Center for Academic Achievement, 8200 W. 71st Street, Overland Park, KS 66204
1 p.m. Kansas City—Children’s Campus of Kansas City, 444 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KS 6610—Floor 3
