[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6098231,"mediaKeyId","2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40","parentId",2824350,"title","KDHE highlights hunger data and upcoming House briefings as lawmakers consider Office of Early Childhood bills","audioSeconds",944,"startMs",132185,"endMs",1076304,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40&start=132&end=1076","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40/thumbnail_132185.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6098231/Kansas/KDHE-highlights-hunger-data-and-upcoming-House-briefings-as-lawmakers-consider-Office-of-Early-Childhood-bills","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6098231-dd48988e9588ebe46ecde07ae040056a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150609&Signature=E0iwYrWDZxmRAkDF1RVTLxL66AuCNRGj5ieNJAct7Tp2n9kPKTc7lOCOrmc0v7HktNwFYyGWQ91SZ85l4r106ax0zCW~1hiVG5j0JJ~8U0GK-08Nx5egLWwT9~FW-bMEtAPeSZuEFMvnSsMoE33Rv~H34VdsHNnFxJ4wfgHUlTfzvyK2gJ-FfViD0nmA0f7vGLx-Z9RfFdbGuYYlT1izP6dZiiRNDzbw~pegRi6pd~36svp2dbYWE0lW8JATgyYozPG68ri~JVnN8vuIEo0bslUTHcM~3sCXdKQ~J9GcCO77TtDluy2ER44LoptaZFAY7FahqxkyEq8psKZkQLhXpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kansas Children's Cabinet","date","2025-03-03T00:00:00Z","article","Derek Flerlaug, KDHE bureau director, told the Systems Improvement Team that he attended a Kansas Health Institute data‑walk on child food insecurity and the United We report, and said the findings — including widely reported disparities in food access — underscore intersections between child care and family needs.

\"About 1 in 4, 1 in 5 children are food insecure,\" Derek said, describing the data visualizations and linking the topic to KDHE's WIC program and potential cross‑agency policy conversations.

Derek also noted an informational briefing to the House Commerce Committee scheduled for 1:30 p.m. that afternoon focusing on child care; he said that hearing would be available via YouTube, and that a hearing on the Office of Early Childhood bill was set for Thursday where formal testimony would be taken.

In a legislative update, Emily Barnes of Kansas Action for Children said activity in the State House had been slow but expected to pick up. She said staff are tracking bipartisan bills to create an Office of Early Childhood — naming SB132 and HB2294 — and other measures that would affect providers and families, including SB207 (a pilot to offer health services and stipends to child‑care workers and to address local ordinances that limit operation) and its companion HB2383. Barnes also flagged proposed child tax credit bills (cited as HB2002 and SB179 in the meeting) and budget legislation including House Bill 2007, noting the KSDE budget and DCF/KDHE hearings that could affect early‑childhood funding.

Barnes urged attendees to monitor committee schedules on kslegislature.gov and to submit written testimony for budget items given tighter timelines in the Senate. She said a DCF and KDHE budget hearing was scheduled for March 5 before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Meeting participants also discussed related bills affecting SNAP limitations and CHIP eligibility; Barnes recommended tracking both direct and indirect legislation that could affect families' ability to afford child care.

KDHE and Systems Improvement Team staff encouraged members to watch the committee briefings on YouTube and to reach out to KDHE staff with questions about items in the United We report or legislative package.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Child Care Systems Improvement Team (CCSIT) Meeting 03-03-2025","oneSentenceSummary","KDHE described findings from a United We report and Kansas Health Institute data walk on child food insecurity, and Systems Improvement Team members received a legislative update covering bill hearings this week on proposals to streamline early‑childhood governance and bills affecting child‑care workers and family supports.","taxTitle","Children’s Cabinet, Governor's Boards & Commissions, Organizations, Executive, Kansas","taxId",25239,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6098235,"State launches 'child care zones' funding and continues regional roundtables to surface local solutions",1304,656870,1961630,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40&start=656&end=1961","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40/thumbnail_656870.jpg","/articles/6098235/Kansas/State-launches-child-care-zones-funding-and-continues-regional-roundtables-to-surface-local-solutions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6098235-992c8d6d9be604d2240edfc0560be26d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150609&Signature=cfgHfCVY6Zg6l5fCfQ2PPbMt29APzj1twbIrNJJMQTKC~TGDEAWvVU5cfyUm~vgyKE-DrI~Z19JlNZ08vMg-Au8TGVcelsExqAxzW~jEOk12dhS-3U7-oEgZbYjejPMET2zxhucrjtwuCA7syuoXjA8GtIHpDyQ6RyQp-SaOnwGjKNj0v83jw7Lx~R~iop5ur8ox~Az2o~HNZdKnTj698DAR8OOFPjN7IllS2Tb0TLQSCL17fufqjpp0SbQOHsBCZ~c6Ugxf66FQfH2x4SG7yEJF-Tw2GJFr5Jpgpe6n-DeM7~zkQ7fIsNu4AwheP4P~Iv3TXp7CP9UXF29uHVlnWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","KDHE and Children's Cabinet staff promoted a new \"child care zone\" funding opportunity and summarized regional roundtables that aim to surface local solutions to child care challenges across Kansas.

Megan (staff member) described the child care zone initiative as a funding opportunity open to teams from at least two Kansas counties; applicants must submit a letter of interest by \"this Friday\" (deadline date not specified). The grants are intended to support collaborative, non‑construction projects that build local child‑care ecosystems — for example, shared administrative services, substitute pools, staffing supports or business‑practice assistance — rather than funding a single facility.

The initiative will have two application cycles, in April and August, and includes technical assistance, recorded informational webinars, an FAQ and written application guidance on allinforKansaskids.org, staff said. KDHE emphasized that communities may apply together even if counties are not adjacent and that the program asks applicants to demonstrate knowledge of local child‑care need.

Participants also reviewed progress from regional roundtables. KDHE staff reported successful sessions in Abilene (November) and Topeka (January) and said the next roundtables will be in Wichita on March 12 (hosted by ChildStart) and at a child‑care facility in Garden City on May 20. Breakout participants praised the roundtable format as “welcoming” and useful for letting a range of stakeholders — home providers, center staff, licensing specialists, school district representatives and local government officials — share perspectives and co‑identify local supports.

Heather Ritchie said the Abilene session used whole‑group discussion to good effect and drew a mix of providers and partners; Emily Bonia of KSDE Child Nutrition and Wellness described Topeka's session as open and inviting. KDHE staff said the roundtables are collecting feedback by theme, and that future work groups may be formed after Wichita to develop actionable recommendations and to report back to participants on results.

KDHE asked Systems Improvement Team members to consider leading portions of the next roundtables so participants see the team’s face rather than only KDHE staff. The department also said it is exploring online tools to track the status of initiatives raised at roundtables so attendees can see whether and how feedback leads to changes.","KDHE and partners described a new child care zone funding opportunity for multi‑county collaborative projects, and staff reported progress on regional roundtables in Abilene and Topeka with Wichita and Garden City sessions scheduled.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6098240,"KDHE asks systems improvement team to vet draft licensing‑specialist competencies; plans testing and shadowing",239,2921250,3160675,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40&start=2921&end=3160","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2824350-9bc202ae2bc7649d2ca1543241ae4c40/thumbnail_2921250.jpg","/articles/6098240/Kansas/KDHE-asks-systems-improvement-team-to-vet-draft-licensingspecialist-competencies-plans-testing-and-shadowing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6098240-2ca425d17288941a4bff657c6584b392/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150609&Signature=InkUksqNvl3MQiP8GfaM~N4q7ZCc97Izzm~cOYd3snReKhPNJ71oO1oJzEAjYXZb8yuuJ5V1GYUebcHXRSa7HyUns1Kg-NwzcvPsc11kEVHjIT2f1GmFSSqLNnYLEqC52BS3OvgaoFgOO4G-9h4O5Dsqx4UConA4DUqdD4sJjIEZ9a6qv4rgNI~UHjCdJnqiJbu1e1PNzo4f~q8BOHfWDXQ8kVih0ZcIKkbPjQJIN8MYba67es-o4LZ5EG2EoecFFYytLGex~cuO5KjUfNwZ2LkgAS7CQLyx3DEyuy90mm2MnVZ5LBs8wklgDiRyZrdzjDh8cwLuz-OT7B4lBMrVqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kansas Department of Health and Environment staff sought feedback from the Children's Cabinet Systems Improvement Team on draft core competencies for child‑care licensing specialists and outlined next steps including a standard test and shadowing of specialists to ensure consistent practice across the state.

The competencies, intended as a public‑facing guide like the department's existing rules for program directors and lead teachers, were discussed in breakout groups during the meeting. Melissa (staff member) asked the team to react to the draft language and whether any skills, knowledge or behaviors were missing or unclear.

The draft draws on national standards and was adapted for Kansas, officials said. Jarvis Dolman, child care licensing director, and KDHE staff emphasized that licensing specialists do more than inspections: they orient new providers, deliver local trainings and provide coaching and referral to other community resources. KDHE shared 2024 fiscal‑year activity figures for the licensing team: 413 orientations, more than 5,000 inspections, 28 locally delivered trainings reaching almost 3,000 participants, 290 professional development courses totaling 735 hours, and roughly 59 licensing specialists statewide.

“Words matter,” Melissa told the group during report‑back, urging careful editing of competency language so it resonates with both the licensing program and the broader early‑childhood system. Participants recommended several wording and ordering changes, including placing compliance and accountability near the top and adding emphasis on adaptability, respect for providers' time and spaces, and humility in interactions.

A breakout group that reviewed accountability and caseload management suggested changing a draft line that said a specialist “follows the important laws” to simply “follows the laws,” saying the earlier phrasing implied a hierarchy of legal obligations. Another group suggested changing a phrase about “managing emotions” to “managing composure” to reflect professional behavior more precisely.

KDHE staff described concrete next steps: continue collecting public comments, review notes from today's meeting with licensing specialists, develop a standard test aligned to the competencies for new and existing specialists, and implement a statewide shadowing program this spring and summer to observe whether specialists demonstrate the stated competencies and to promote consistency across counties.

KDHE asked Systems Improvement Team members to continue sending feedback and indicated the final competency document will be circulated for review before it is published. Staff said the competencies are intended to be a public document, similar to existing competence expectations for program directors and lead teachers, and to function as a consistent guide for interactions between licensing specialists and providers across Kansas.","Kansas Department of Health and Environment presented draft core competencies for child‑care licensing specialists, collected feedback from the Systems Improvement Team and regional stakeholders, and said it will develop a standard test and shadowing program to improve statewide consistency.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

KDHE highlights hunger data and upcoming House briefings as lawmakers consider Office of Early Childhood bills

State launches 'child care zones' funding and continues regional roundtables to surface local solutions

KDHE asks systems improvement team to vet draft licensing‑specialist competencies; plans testing and shadowing