Child Care Aware of Kansas

Sustainability grants (funded by american rescue plan act (arpa) of 2021 through Kansas department for children and families), in response to the covid-19 pandemic, provided the following financial support services to provide relief to Child Care providers throughout the state of Kansas: sustainability grants these grants, available to eligible programs, provide financial and technical assistance to help offset the realized negative impact on the structural layers of operating a Child Care business due to the covid-19 pandemic. Programs must use a portion of the grant funds to continue to pay the salaries/wages of staff employed through the licensed Child Care facility. During 2022, 3,866 Child Care programs were awarded sustainability grants.

Child Care consumer education and Referral services is funded by the Kansas department for children and families (dcf) through Child Care development fund. The statewide network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies work together to connect families across Kansas to Child Care in their area. The Child Care Aware of Kansas Resource center provides Child Care referrals and shares resources with families seeking Care. In 2022, 16,014 Child Care referrals were made to families searching for Care. Through this contract, Child Care Aware of Kansas maintains and manages a secure, web-based system to provide information and Child Care referrals, that consumer education resources are available for families, and that parent Referral follow-up is in place. Real time data, by county, is available on demand for communities, partners, and others, on our website, www.ks.childcareaware.org. Annual Child Care supply demand reports are created using data collected from this project. Two contracts were in place during 2022: july 1, 2021 to june 30, 2022, Child Care consumer education and Referral services funded by the Kansas department for children and families (dcf) through Child Care development fund. July 1, 2022 to june 30, 2023, Child Care consumer education and Referral services funded by the Kansas department for children and families (dcf) through Child Care development block grant (Child Care development fund) in addition to coronavirus response and relief supplemental appropriations act (crrsa). During this period community engagement services are enhanced to help build Child Care capacity by targeting relationships with early childhood and Child Care champions in local communities including, but not limited to, families, home and center-based Child Care providers, local businesses, economic development, community members, and community champions. Community grants are also available beginning in 2023.

Child Care health consultant (cchc) network. Funding for this program began on 9-1-2020 and continues. The Child Care health consultant (cchc) network supports high quality Child Care services and promotes healthy development for children in kdhe licensed Child Care facilities. Cchc's provide consultations, training, information, Referral, and technical assistance to Child Care providers in the state of Kansas. Cchc's offer critical services to Child Care programs by reviewing policies, offering developmental expertise, completing assessments of Child, staff, and family health needs, and connecting to community resources. In addition, cchc's collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of early childhood consultants, such as, early childhood education, mental health, and nutrition consultants. Various grant opportunities have been available for licensed Child Care programs through the cchc network. December 31, 2020, to january 31, 2022, coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security act (cares act) funding awarded through Kansas department of health and environment. During this period of the cchc network implementation, 1,426 Child Care impact grants were awarded. In addition, the cchc network served/engaged 594 family Child Care providers and 176 Child Care centers, and 17 school age programs, for a total of 787 programs. of the 787 programs, 349 accepted Kansas department for children and families subsidy payments. July 1, 2021, to april 29, 2022, preschool development grant (pdg) birth through five (pdg b-5) project, funding awarded through Kansas department of health and environment. Beginning on january 1, 2022, through april 29, 2022, this contract was amended to include communities in action: a community Child Care capacity-building project that connects communities to the perspectives, information, and ideas they need to invest in early Care and education solutions in their local communities across Kansas. 11 communities received communities in action grants. October 1, 2021, to september 30, 2023, american rescue plan act (arpa) of 2021, funding awarded through Kansas department of health and environment. During this period of the cchc network implementation, cchc provided 582 start-up stipends ($1,455,000.00) and 97 health & safety grants ($485,991.80) to new providers. In addition, the cchc network served/engaged 4,102 Child Care programs. of the 4,102 programs, 189 potentially new providers, 2,943 home Child Care providers, 751 Child Care centers, and 219 school age programs received direct service, including nets, recruitment contacts, community engagement, and consultations. of the 4,102 programs, 1,412 accepted Kansas department for children and families subsidy payments.child Care workforce appreciation bonuses were for early Child Care professionals to show appreciation and thank them for their commitment and dedication. These bonuses were provided in collaboration with Kansas department for children and families, Kansas department of health and development, and university of Kansas center for public partnerships and research. Unlike the previous grants, these bonuses were made directly to individuals employed in the field rather than to the facility. Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (kaccrra) provided technical assistance for incomplete applications and status of bonus payments. From july 18, 2022, to february 17, 2023 there were 23,308 technical assistance requests completed. Kaccrra's costs associated with this work were covered under the cchc contract. Bonus amounts were paid through one of the other partnering Agencies.

Child Care quality improvement and support services (ccqis)/links to quality (l2q) is providing program administration support to assist providers in improving business practices. Community consultants provide coaching, mentoring, technical assistance, and training to programs in learning communities and across Kansas as they continuously work to ensure their business has a strong foundation. During 2022, the project focused on helping programs recover from the financial effects of the pandemic. There are currently 94 participants engaged in the l2q project and 401 programs participating in the program administration support service. In the grant with Kansas department for children and families beginning on october 1, 2022, this project expanded to include creating learning communities based upon a provider lead and focused community of learning model, establishing shared services network to help streamline processes for Child Care providers, establishing procedures and criteria for a financial incentive program, establishing and facilitating a quality improvement and support advisory group of early childhood professionals, and implementing a Child Care management system available to Child Care programs in kansas.the Child Care quality initiative focused on high-quality Child Care. Training and coaching support activities enhanced teacher-child and parent-child interactions to maximize impact for children. By promoting supportive relationships and connecting families with community programs and resources we helped Kansas families support their Child's healthy growth and development. The Child Care quality initiative served 443 children in 53 Child Care facilities providing the Child Care facilities with 549 technical assistance interactions.child Care go team was initiated in 2022 in an agreement with university of Kansas center for public partnerships and research. Child Care Aware of Kansas serves as the implementation backbone for Kansas' Child Care go team as an integral component of a broader continuum of supports available to communities addressing Child Care challenges.disaster preparedness in partnership with Child Care Aware of america. This work is to enhance community resilience through disaster preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives, leading to a disaster ready Child Care system.grow ece offered in partnership with the family conservancy: this program provides salary supplements to eligible Child Care professionals in wyandotte county. Child Care professionals must meet educational, experience, and/or length of service criteria to be eligible. Accounting services for Kansas parents as teachers Association (kpata), kaccrra maintains an agreement with kpata to provide accounting services.ksaeyc administrative on june 1, 2020, kaccrra entered into an agreement with Kansas Association for the education of young children (ksaeyc) to provide administrative services. This contract ended on june 30, 2022.healthy kids healthy future technical assistance program in partnership with the nemours foundation: the initiative focuses on improving the health of children in early Care and education settings. This initiative supports capacity building strategies to enhance services available to Child Care programs. Professional development and educational services: this initiative provides ongoing approval of ccr&r professional development and ceu units, as well as providing guidance and support through the application process. Face-to-face learning: instructor-led training events, offered in various locations across the state, typically during evenings and weekend hours to meet the unique scheduling needs of Child Care providers. Offered 2 training with 23 providers attending. Online learning: an online training system designed for Child Care providers seeking an asynchronous learning format, 200 courses are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Child Care providers are able to engage at their own pace. Live online events: an interactive online real-time virtual classroom that combines face-to-face training with online training. Held 27 trainings with 157 providers in attendance. Pediatric first aid and cpr certifications: helping Child Care providers learn lifesaving skills and meet Child Care licensing requirements. During 2022, 2 first aid/cpr trainings were held for 15 individuals. Delivery of kdhe-approved training, offered in partnership with Kansas Child Care training opportunities, inc. (Child Care development grant funding (ccdf)): this training is to provide a positive, seamless experience for Child Care providers by delivery of kdhe-approved training. In 2022, 5 trainings were held with 46 providers in attendance.early childhood scholarships: educational scholarships to increase the education level of Child Care providers through continuing professional development and continuing education opportunities. Kansas Child: a quarterly magazine that provides a forum for the discussion of Child Care and early education topics and ideas. The magazine provokes thoughtful discussions within the field and helps those outside the field gain a better understanding of priorities and concerns in early childhood.the organization is involved in various other programs that help to enhance the quality of Child Care in Kansas and beyond.