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Child care and early childhood education are foundations for early development, academic achievement, and a lifetime of benefits supporting our youngest learners into adulthood. Yet today, many families in Kansas struggle to access affordable, quality child care where they live and work. We are distributing federal, one-time pandemic relief funding to support grantees across the state as they build and expand physical spaces, and for start-up operations.
Because we know a single solution won’t fix what we have come to know as the ‘child care crisis’ we look to communities for innovative ideas and custom solutions. Capital funding is a significant step forward in this work and can be used as a catalyst for fundamentally changing the way Kansans meet their child care needs.
The Child Care Capacity Accelerator is designed to support collaborations of local early childhood providers, child care coalition members, employers, and economic development leaders as they create affordable and accessible child care slots in their communities. Awards were made through a mix of braided funds from both public and private sources, and included funds for construction, major renovation, and short-term operating expenses. Progress is underway, with several grantees completing projects in 2024.
Learn more about the Accelerator program, the awarded communities, and the role of Public-Private Partnerships.
The Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Accelerator awarded a total of $38 million in grants across two rounds of awards to expand on the state’s efforts to create new licensed child care slots. A federal Capital Projects Fund grant was awarded to the Kansas Children’s Cabinet by the U.S. Treasury in 2023 to help communities deliver vital services through construction of multi-purpose facilities. These facilities offer workforce and education supports, health monitoring, and child care services.
Learn more about these investments and the new child care slots being created. Projects are ramping up in 2024, with progress updates coming soon.