Child care is important to a healthy start for kids and families as well as to our economy. To inform early childhood policies, recently Governor Kelly announced that the Kansas Early Childhood Transition Task Force is embarking on a statewide community engagement tour to discuss the challenges communities face in supporting children through their earliest years.
The Task Force Wants to Hear from You!
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund encourages you to share your community’s challenges and your ideas on what our state can do to ensure all Kansas children thrive and enjoy the best possible future.
Families, service and care providers, community leaders and business representatives are encouraged to attend the nearest regional meeting. These meetings are open to the public, and pre-registration is not required.
Participants will engage in facilitated discussions designed to generate feedback on how the state is administering early childhood programs and how Kansans interact with the state’s governance system. Hearing directly from Kansans like you will ensure this process results in the best outcomes for our state and our children.
Tour Schedule
Tuesday, June 27th
9AM: Chanute—Neosho County Community College (Student Union) – 800 W Fourteenth Street, Chanute, KS 66720
2PM: Wichita—Child Start – 1002 S. Oliver Street, Wichita, KS 67218
Wednesday, June 28th
9AM: Garden City—Russell Child Development Center – 2735 N. Jennie Barker Road, Garden City, KS 67846
2PM: Hays—Rockwell Administrative Center – 323 W 12th Street, Hays, KS 67601
5PM: Salina—Donna L. Vanier Children’s Center – 155 N Oakdale Avenue, Salina, KS 67401
Thursday, June 29th
9AM: Manhattan—Manhattan-Ogden School District—College Hill Early Learning Center – 2600 Kimball Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502
1PM: Topeka—Bishop Professional Development Center – 3601 SW 31st Street, Topeka, KS 66614
Friday, June 30th
10AM: Overland Park—Shawnee Mission School District—Center for Academic Achievement – 8200 W. 71st Street, Overland Park, KS 66204
1PM: Kansas City—Children’s Campus of Kansas City – 444 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KS 6610—Floor 3
The Early Childhood Transition Task Force, a bipartisan group of Kansans representing business, government, advocacy and early childhood sectors, was created in early 2023 by Gov. Laura Kelly to help address one of our state’s most important challenges – giving our next generations the strongest possible start to life. The Task Force is charged with assessing the state’s existing early childhood landscape and bringing forward recommendations for a potential new cabinet agency to house most or all state programs for young children and their families in order to improve coordination and efficiency while removing barriers.
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