EC Recommendations Panel
What are State Advisory Councils and Panels?
The Kansas Early Childhood Recommendations Panel is the working group of the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council. These State Early Childhood Advisory Councils, or “ECACs,” are established by the Governor of each state to advise and support development of high-quality, comprehensive early childhood education and care systems, ensuring coordination and collaboration among various programs. As the working group of our state’s ECAC, the Panel plays a key role in implementing the All In For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan, responding to challenges, elevating recommendations from communities, and making decisions to help us achieve the vision of every child thriving.
How the Panel Works
The Children’s Cabinet convenes, directs, and appoints members to the Panel. Volunteers apply to be considered for Panel membership, and each annual term begins July 1. Panel members meet monthly to examine policy, discuss ecosystem needs and priorities, and vet recommendations from public input. The Panel elevates vetted proposals to the All In For Kansas Kids Leadership Team and the Kansas Children’s Cabinet.
Executive Order Requirements
The panel is formed to include the following representation, knowledge, and experience:
Representatives of local educational agencies
- Local district early childhood education programs and experiences
- Funding requirements, connections, and regulations to support alignment efforts for public and private educational agencies
- Partnerships with Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) programming specific to workforce development and prevention activities
- Practice or internship opportunities in Head Start or Pre-K programs
Connections between FCS, Pre-K, and Child Care
Representatives of institutions of higher education in the State of Kansas
- Capacity and effectiveness of 2-and 4-year public and private higher education institutions toward supporting the development of early childhood educators, including articulation agreements, professional development, and career advancement plans
- ECHO (4-year) and/or EQIP (2-year) connections to the state governance structure
- Practice or internship opportunities in early childhood environments
- Statewide professional development and career advancement plans for early childhood educators
Representatives of local providers of early childhood education and development services
- Kansas early learning standards
- High-quality educational services for children, birth to 3
- Coordinating family needs and services
- Early intervention services–Part C and Part B
- Kansas Preschool Pilots with school and community partners
- Local early care and education programs and services (e.g., Early Childhood Block Grant programs)
- Links to Quality child care quality recognition and improvement system
- Early childhood public/private partnership opportunities
Representatives from Head Start agencies located in the State of Kansas, including migrant and seasonal Head Start programs and Indian Head Start programs
- Migrant and seasonal Early Head Start programs and Indian Head Start Programs
- Local partner experiences
- Efforts for English language learners
- Principles of effective collaboration
Parents of young children currently receiving early childhood services from the state of Kansas
Other
Focus Areas
The Panel Chair may organize work groups to advance ideas and solutions. These work groups must follow requirements of both the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Kansas Open Records Act.
Panel work groups are currently focused on the following topics:
- Establishing a Family Friendly Workplace (FFW) Designation and promoting its importance and utility through effective marketing strategies.
- Assessing current Kansas early childhood ecosystem practices to identify effective strategies for understanding challenges faced by professionals leaving the field.
- Developing a list of free mental health resources available to the Kansas early childhood workforce and analyzing Workforce Survey data to uncover key insights to better support the mental health needs of early childhood professionals.
- Examining targeted recruitment strategies to expand the early childhood workforce.
- Assessing how to help members and communities stay informed about ongoing early childhood ecosystem work, learn from local solutions, and apply these lessons broadly.
Recommendations
To date, three recommendations from the Panel have been elevated and approved by the Early Childhood Advisory Council:
Kindergarten Readiness Toolkit (Approved 12/4/2020)
SICC-LICC Collaboration Strategies and Child Care Retention Bonus (Approved 4/1/2022)
Family Friendly Workplaces (Approved 8/2/2024)
Roles, Norms, and Procedures
Read more about Panel Roles, Norms, and Procedures.