Representatives from state agencies, organizations, and community partners from the Kansas Early Childhood Governance System met on February 21, 2025 for the 4th annual Kansas Early Childhood Governance Summit. Following the Statewide Needs Assessment and the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan priority to connect statewide efforts in supporting and providing early childhood services, the Early Childhood Governance Summit provided the opportunity for group representatives to share their work and report how their progress aligns with the direction and goals established in the All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan.
The state-level coordination efforts, led by the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council, improved the facilitation of interagency and organizational cooperation in federal and state-funded child development, child care, and early childhood education programs and services. With each group’s distinct yet expansive focus areas like health care, behavioral health, and early childhood care, and the system’s current method of providing a broad range of services and supports to families (frequently referred to as a mixed-delivery system), the summit allowed all participants to see each group’s purpose and the development and advancements being made in all focus areas. Under the shared mission of making the Kansas early childhood system comprehensive in its resources and to build the system’s capacity and access for all Kansas families, these groups convened at the Summit to share their progress and accomplishments to date, and their goals for 2024:
- Early Childhood Recommendations Panel
- Child Care Systems Improvement Team
- Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council’s Children’s Subcommittee
- Family Advisory Council
- Family First Statewide Interagency and Community Advisory Board
- Family Leadership Team
- Home Visiting Leadership Group
- Kansas Early Childhood Data Trust Governance Board
- Kansas Early Learning Standards
- Maternal Child Health Council
- Quality Recognition and Improvement System Advisory Board
- State Interagency Coordinating Council
- Workforce Development Advisory Group
View the entire recording of the Early Childhood Governance Summit, access the presentation slides, and see the graphic recording of Accomplishments and Goals below.
