Strategic Plan

More from the Children’s Cabinet

  • Nearly $43.6 Mi…
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  • Innovation Comm…
    Child Care Innovation Communities is a competitive add-on to the Child Care Capacity Accelerator Community Grant. Innovation Communities will work collaboratively with other communities across Kansas to pilot specific strategies to expand child care capacity that meet the unique needs of their families. […]
  • Accelerator Com…
    The Kansas Child Care Capacity Accelerator will support community-based teams—including early childhood providers and champions, employers, and economic development leaders—in their efforts to create affordable and accessible child care seats in their communities. […]
  • 2023 Early Chil…
    On February 17, groups from the Kansas Early Childhood Governance System presented highlights, including progress to date, goals for 2022, and discuss opportunities to work together to accomplish the goals of the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan. […]
  • Early Childhood…
    See upcoming Early Childhood Conference opportunities across Kansas and nationally. […]

Strategy 6.3

Support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the early childhood care and education workforce.

6.3.1   Establish financial incentives to support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of a diverse workforce.
State agency led tactic.Statewide and community-level partnerships.

6.3.2   Support culturally, linguistically, and diverse-ability-appropriate materials in professional development opportunities, facilities, playgrounds, and other learning spaces.
State agency led tactic.Local individual or small group champions.Statewide and community-level partnerships.

6.3.3   Implement professional development programs that increase workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion practices to ensure early childhood environments are responsive to and supportive of a diverse workforce.
State agency led tactic.Local individual or small group champions.Statewide and community-level partnerships.

Progress Update

The Children’s Cabinet formally adopted an equity statement, and equity serves as a guiding principle in the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan. Several organizations and providers who received PDG Quality Subgrants are using the funding to purchase culturally-competent learning materials or are offering retention bonuses and insurance stipends. The Workforce Development Advisory Group has a subcommittee focused on expanding equity, inclusion, and diversity trainings, opportunities, and shared learning experiences for the early childhood workforce, with the hope of making recommendations to the broader system.

The Kansas Racial Equity Collaborative is a statewide effort to understand the history of racial inequities in child welfare and to define the problem through a shared language.

The Kansas Early Learning Standards (KELS) Revision Team is working to better integrate equity into the KELS through a review and revision process.

Even with strides made in this area, more effort is needed to recruit, retain, and support a diverse early childhood