Children’s Cabinet approves $23 million slate for Early Childhood Block Grant

TOPEKA, Kan., April 4 — The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund approved funding recommendations for the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) on April 4, adopting staff’s slate to fund 25 grantees with just over $23 million after receiving 44 applications requesting more than $41 million.

The decision, moved by board member John Wilson and seconded (second not specified in the record), passed in roll-call after a voice vote. The roll call recorded five yes votes (John Wilson; Dr. Tara Wallace; Deanna Owen Graham; Dr. Lietta Felter; Cabinet Chair Don Heinemann) and two no votes (Representative Christy Williams; Senator Renee Erickson); the motion was adopted.

The ECBG program provides community-level grants for services to children birth through age 5 with identified risk factors, and is financed through the Children’s Initiative Fund (CIF), the Cabinet said. Cabinet staff described the slate as intended to expand access while following statutory direction and the program’s Common Measures evaluation framework administered with Wichita State University.

“This is an important milestone every year in our cabinet work,” Melissa, Children’s Cabinet staff, said while introducing the recommendations and the evaluation approach. Staff emphasized that the ECBG review process includes application webinars, 97 technical-assistance requests this cycle and site visits and coaching to support common-measures implementation.

The slate would reach grantees serving 80 Kansas counties, staff said. Of the 25 recommended awards, 15 existing grantees were proposed to receive either the amount requested or up to a 10% increase (staff said they took the lower of the two figures when percentages differed); staff recommended funding two new grantees and removing one existing grantee from the portfolio.

Representative Christy Williams questioned the long-term evidence base for investing in school-district grantees and asked whether the awards reduced parent costs or produced measurable K–12 outcomes. “I’m not in favor of giving to school districts, especially when they’re not providing any results,” Williams said, citing third-grade reading outcomes in Kansas and urging more quantifiable evidence of long-term benefit.

Staff responded that ECBG-funded programs are distinct from core preschool funding and that the Cabinet requires applicants to document other funding sources (for example, Kansas Preschool Pilot funding and categorical aid) to ensure ECBG dollars supplement rather than supplant existing resources. Melissa said the Cabinet has a data-sharing agreement with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to enable future longitudinal analysis and that Wichita State and Cabinet staff already document year-over-year improvements within program evaluation cycles.

Board discussion flagged finite resources and the need to balance geographic reach, program type and the Common Measures evaluation that Wichita State and Cabinet staff use to compare outcomes across different service models (home visiting, classroom programs, parent education, etc.). Staff noted that until the FY‑26 state budget is signed, formal award notices cannot be issued; the Cabinet presented the slate to allow time to process grant documents if the Legislature’s budget holds.

Votes at a glance: motion to approve the FY‑26 ECBG funding recommendations — mover: John Wilson; second: not specified in the meeting record; roll-call outcome recorded as yes: John Wilson; yes: Dr. Tara Wallace; yes: Deanna Owen Graham; yes: Dr. Lietta Felter; yes: Don Heinemann; no: Representative Christy Williams; no: Senator Renee Erickson. Outcome: adopted.

The Cabinet will return in June with CIF accountability reports and to discuss FY‑27 budget recommendations, staff said.

The Cabinet’s packet and detailed award slate were provided to board members and will be posted with meeting materials online.