Megan Kluth, a project lead with the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research, briefed the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund’s Early Childhood Recommendations Panel on ongoing initiatives funded by the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) and announced upcoming events and supports for providers and communities.

The PDG materials focus on systems building across multiple topics: early childhood mental health, employer engagement, child care ecosystems and family engagement. Kluth described PDG as “the Preschool Development Grant. It is a federal funding source” that supports a broad array of initiatives across the state.

Key PDG updates and upcoming events mentioned to the panel:

- Early childhood mental health convening: An in‑person convening is planned for Oct. 15 in Topeka (organizers are finalizing invitations and planning). Kluth said the meeting is intended to bring together professionals across mental health, maternal and child health, child care and home visiting programs to shape collaborative strategies.

- Employer summit: ChildStart will host an employer summit in Wichita on Aug. 15 aimed at engaging employers on child‑care impacts to workforce participation; registration information will be included in meeting notes.

- Child Care Zones funding: KDHE’s child care zones initiative supports multi‑county efforts to build child‑care ecosystems. The first round funded four grantees; a second application window is due in late August. Materials (recorded informational webinar and application guidance) will be posted on AllInForKansasKids.org.

- Family engagement stipends: PDG funding is available to compensate families for participation in engagement activities (surveys, feedback sessions, resource fairs). Kluth said groups have used stipends for back‑to‑school family events and other outreach, and encouraged early requests.

- Health‑insurance navigation and support for providers: Thrive Allen County is operating a navigation and subsidy program to help licensed child‑care professionals access health insurance. Kluth said the program is relaunching a new round in August and has helped some providers secure insurance for the first time.

Other system resources and deadlines announced during the meeting included a Kansas home‑visiting conference on Sept. 30 (registration requested by July 31) and a Department of Education request for feedback on the ASQ:SE‑2 assessment instrument.

Panel staff also presented a new SharePoint hub intended as a central repository for agendas, recordings, meeting notes, work‑group folders and community resources. Lindsey O’Brien (Center for Public Partnerships and Research) demonstrated the hub and said staff will post meeting summaries, key takeaways and a panel member bio directory. Schoenberger and O’Brien told members the hub is the intended place to store standardized meeting notes and work‑group documents to improve transparency and ease access for panelists.

Ending: Panel staff asked members to identify who they want to hear from during the coming year and to volunteer for work‑group “speed dating” at the next meeting; PDG staff will continue monthly briefings and distribute links and recordings via the SharePoint hub and the All In for Kansas Kids newsletter.