More than $256,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 13 All in for Kansas Kids Quality Subgrants to support Kindergarten Readiness. The grants were funded through the 3-year Preschool Development B-5 Renewal Grant awarded to Kansas in April 2020.

The grants will help communities across Kansas form and support collaboration between school districts, child care providers, families and other early childhood champions as they develop and implement locally-driven approaches that

Kansans elevated a range of challenges that became the focus. help children transition from the early childhood settings into kindergarten. The grants will support a variety of activities, including kindergarten transition programs, community health and education events. and professional development.

“We know that children who are prepared for kindergarten are more successful throughout their academic careers,” said Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust fund, which oversees the administration of the subgrants. “Ensuring our children have what they need to succeed in the classroom is an investment in a strong future for our entire state.”

The work is being guided by the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan, which maps the state’s future direction for early childhood. Grantees directly responded to findings from the statewide Needs Assessment conducted in 2019, where more than 6,100

Grantees were selected following a competitive review process and represent multiple geographic regions of the state.

2021 Subgrants for Kindergarten Readiness

Goal: Support the successful transition of children from early childhood settings into kindergarten through community collaboration.

• Burlington Public Schools
• Chanute Public School District #413
• Child Care Aware of Eastern KS
• Community Children’s Center, Inc./ Googols of Learning Child Development Center
• Cooper Early Education Center
• Garden City Public Schools
• Iola Unified School District 257
• Kritter Creek Childcare, LLC
• Neodesha School District #461
• Southern Lyon County Unified School District 252
• Arkansas City Public Schools
• USD 500, Kansas City, Kansas
• Women’s Community Leavenworth

The 2021 grantees join the 62 Quality Subgrant projects that were funded in fall 2020 in the areas of Kindergarten Readiness, Improving Quality of Care, Child Care Access, Rural Child Care, and Connecting Families to Services. Many of these projects are multi-year.

To learn more about specific funded programs and activities, and to connect with the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Planning efforts to strengthen the Kansas early childhood care and education system, visit All In For Kansas Kids.