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Centering the Needs of Children and Families
Kansas is committed to child- and family-centered decision making which means keeping the needs and choices of children and families at the forefront. This requires understanding that experiences of children and families are shaped by who they are, where they live and work, and what services and supports they might need.
It also requires an understanding of the critical nature of your role as an early childhood professional. You promote child and family well-being through referrals and connections to other resources in the community: housing, food, health care, behavioral health, economic, and employment. These well-being supports lead to more and more children experiencing safe and stable environments, responsive and nurturing relationships, and meaningful learning opportunities that are developmentally and culturally appropriate.
Learn more about how to support children’s development:
- Decades of scientific research underscore the importance of experiences in early childhood. Explore why and how at Help Me Grow Kansas and learn ways to support positive early relationships, experiences, and environments.
- The Kansas Early Learning Standards (KELS) provide guidance on the developmental continuum of learning for children, birth through kindergarten. The KELS explain what young children should know and be able to do as a result of engagement with caring knowledgeable adults, evidence-based curriculum, and developmentally appropriate activities.
- Become familiar with Caring for Our Children information from the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (a program of the Administration for Children and Families).
- View resources on Caring for Children with Special Needs from the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (also from the Administration for Children and Families)
- Learn what the American Association of Pediatrics advises about infant food and feeding.
- Find your local WIC program to share with families and expecting parents.
- Start Early offers guidance for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the early childhood classroom.
Early childhood professionals help nurture healthy relationships in support of social emotional development and mental health:
- Babies and young children need to experience “serve and return” to build their brains. Serve and return involves back-and-forth interactions between a child and caregiver, where the child “serves” by reaching out through babbling, gestures, or expressions, and the caregiver “returns” with a supportive response, such as talking or smiling.
- The Kansas Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment both offer mental and behavioral health resources and support for young children and families in Kansas.
Pregnancy brings many changes. Most are normal, but some could be warning signs for complications or more serious problems. As an early childhood professional, you can support pregnant and new parents through:
- Family & community resources to help recognize warning signs and get help early
- Hear Her: Learn the warning signs to help save a life.
- The Kansas Family Engagement & Partnership Standards provide guidance for families, practitioners, community members, and educators to examine current family engagement practices and plan new strategies for engaging families in their children’s development and learning.
- The Family & Consumer Partnership Toolkit presents feedback directly from Kansas families and includes web-based content, resources and examples of engagement activities, and a planning tool to assist programs in developing a Family and Consumer Engagement Plan.
- The Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC) promotes meaningful family engagement at all levels of education and provides information and resources to help parents, educators and other organizations promote the educational success of every Kansas child.
Spotlight
Child Care Zones Webinar
Informational Webinar Join the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to learn more about an upcoming opportunity for communities interested in strengthening their local child care infrastructure. The Child Care Zones […]
Health Insurance Resources for Child Care Professionals
The Insurance Stipend Program for Childcare Providers will provide a stipend of up to $3,600 a year to assist with the cost of purchasing health coverage in the State of Kansas.
1-800-Children
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