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State Board approves Legislature's Parents as Teachers funding allocation amid data and scope questions
Summary
The Kansas State Board of Education voted to distribute the legislature's Parents as Teachers funds to school districts for 2025-26, after staff outlined how the program is run, what data is collected and how families consent to services. Board members asked detailed questions about data use, reporting and program reach.
The Kansas State Board of Education approved the Legislature's allocation for Parents as Teachers for fiscal 2025-26 after a staff presentation and an extended public discussion.
The motion to approve the recommendations for distributing the legislative Parents as Teachers funds to local districts was made and seconded at the April 8 meeting; Chair Hopkins then called for the vote and announced approval. The motion was moved by Melanie and seconded by Betty, and the board chair declared the motion approved after a voice vote and a count of opposing hands was recorded.
Why it matters: Parents as Teachers is a national home-visiting model Kansas supports via KSDE. Board members pressed staff for details about how local programs are affiliated with the national center, what program data is collected and stored, and how family consent is obtained. Several members also asked about program availability and whether the funding will reach the families who are on waiting lists in some districts.
KSDE Director of Early Childhood Amanda Peterson described the program and how it is managed in Kansas. "Each local Parents as Teachers program is an affiliate of the Parents as Teachers National Center," Peterson said, adding that local affiliates submit an annual affiliate performance report to the national center with aggregate information such as numbers of screenings and goals set with families. Peterson said local programs assign a state student ID to participants so later outcomes can be linked if the child enrolls in a Kansas public school: "If a child participates in Parents as Teachers, does that lead to improved outcomes later on?" she said, explaining the purpose of assigning an ID.
Peterson and other staff emphasized that KSDE does not collect the level of detail that would include private notes from a home visit; the agency collects a program participation flag (yes/no) in the KIDS file specification and limited aggregate measures. "We don't collect that level of detail," Peterson said. She also said programs request parental consent at the start of services and that if a family declines services, a program ID is not assigned.
Board members sought numbers and cost-per-service estimates. KSDE staff explained the legislative allocation totals roughly $9.5 million for Parents as Teachers this year; because districts generally provide a local match (50 cents per dollar), the combined funding and match creates a larger operating pool. Staff described typical unit costs (staffing-focused) and that most of the grant dollars flow to parent educator salaries, supervision and training. KSDE staff said the typical program budget supports a coordinator/supervisor and multiple parent educators who deliver personal visits and group connections.
Public comment and board discussion echoed two themes: program value for early support and questions about statewide reach and data privacy. Board members asked where program pages and the program's data elements are kept; Peterson pointed them to the KIDS file specifications and KSDE's legacy Foundations for School Success system for limited program monitoring, and she said the data element for Parents as Teachers in KIDS is a yes/no participation flag.
Board action: The board voted to approve the recommendations to distribute the Parents as Teachers funding as set out in KSDE's staff materials. The motion was made by Melanie (mover) and seconded by Betty (second). The chair called for a voice vote; the motion was declared approved. The board record shows several opposed hands were noted during the count.
What remains: Board members asked KSDE to provide clearer public-facing documentation about the program's data collection and to confirm which districts have waiting lists. Members also discussed whether the program's scope (local affiliate availability, age ranges served and matching requirements) meets statewide demand. KSDE staff said they will continue to coordinate with local programs and with other early-childhood partners to clarify service reach and reporting.
Ending: With the vote, KSDE will proceed to disburse the legislative allotment to districts that apply under the Parents as Teachers program rules. Board members asked staff to return with follow-up information about program wait lists, a clearer public description of data collected, and how matching funds change the total program budget for local districts.
