Strategic Plan

Improve the quality of early childhood care and education programs, services, and physical environments through equitable, community-based approaches.

7.2.1   Identify and align core quality standards that reflect culturally responsive best practices for early learning across settings, such as Head Start Performance Standards, National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation, National Association for Family Child Care Accreditation, and Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices.

7.2.2   Expand Links to Quality(A Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is an approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education settings. In Kansas, our QRIS is called Links to Quality. Links to Quality is a child care quality recognition and improvement system created with the support of early childhood organizations across the state and led by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF).) statewide to promote continuous quality improvement and support peer learning communities within child care environments.

7.2.3   Update and disseminate the Kansas Early Learning Standards, with the updates to include the use of technology in early childhood care and education settings and the benefits of multiple languages in early settings.

7.2.4   Disseminate the Kansas Prekindergarten Guide and the Kansas Full-Day Kindergarten Guide to teachers and administrators, and provide professional development(Early childhood education professional development is a continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals for work with and on behalf of young children and their families, as well as ongoing experiences to enhance this work. These opportunities lead to improvements in the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions of early education professionals. Professional development encompasses education, training, and technical assistance(Technical Assistance (TA) is the provision of targeted and customized aid to develop or strengthen processes, knowledge application, or implementation of services by a professional(s) with subject matter expertise and skills in adult learning practices.).) to programs to implement the guidelines.

7.2.5   Support expansion of early childhood care and education consultants, including inservice training, child care health consultants (physical, oral health, nutrition, physical activity), and early childhood mental health.

What do these icons mean(To help Kansans see themselves as key contributors to the important work ahead, each tactic displays one or more icons representing where stakeholders can have impact.)?

The Workforce Development Advisory Group is researching and analyzing various national and regional core competencies to identify the appropriate standards for the Kansas early childhood workforce, which will align with initiatives such as Links to Quality..

Links to Quality continues to provide important supports and consulting services to the pilot child care provider group and is planning expanded efforts to meet provider needs. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for such targeted outreach and support, and through relief funding, Kansas is expanding the Child Care Health Consultant network who can connect providers to quality services and supports.

As part of the community Centered Adaptive Technical Assistance work, grant writing TA & coaching provided to a community partner in Wyandotte County resulting in $200,000 foundation grant to support community wide early childhood programming.

The statewide ASQ online system initiative was designed and implemented to remove financial, training and workflow barriers for providers wanting to add developmental screening to their work with young families and to allow for more equitable access to screening across the state. Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2) virtual trainings were created to bridge the gap during the onset of the pandemic. Through this program, 308 providers across the state have been trained since March 2021.

Through the PDG Quality Subgrants, approximately 24 grantees were awarded funds to specifically improve the quality of early care for children and families in Kansas. These subgrants focused on addressing quality enhancement across programs with an emphasis on child mental health and social emotional learning by funding services like coaching, training, and peer support, as well as tangible resource provision for both families and providers,

Community Health Council of Wyandotte County was able to send 20 community health workers to participate in Lemonade for Life, an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) training and awareness program, funded by Adaptive TA support.