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

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.