Kansas Gets Grant To Improve Early Childhood Education
It’s really important to ensure that children receive a good education, especially starting at a young age so they stay invested in their own learning. And obviously in the middle of a global pandemic where schools are closed throughout the country, and distance learning is the law of the land, that can be rough on students, teachers, and parents.
Recently, the Department of E
And now, in other educational news, Kansas, has received an $8.9 million grant from the U.S Department of Education to reform their early childhood education services.
Kansas Governor, Laura Kelly had this to say about the state receiving the grant:
“These funds will be imperative in helping to keep up our current momentum as we work to improve our state’s early childhood system.
Governor Kelly continued on to speak on why this grant was especially important right now:
“This grant is particularly welcome now, as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an additional degree of stress on early childhood in Kansas. With it, we will continue to fight for the health and safety of children and families in our state.”
This grant was jointly applied for by the Kansas Children’s Cabinet, the Kansas State Department of Education, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Kansas Department of Children and Families. All of these partners began this application process back in January of 2019.
This grant is actually the first installment of a renewal grant of Kansas’s Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five initiative, which funded a statewide assessment of current services in the state of Kansas. The findings from this assessment found that the services that currently exist to help children before they start school are not consistent throughout the state which leads to many children and families struggling. This assessment was conducted with the input and participation of over 6100 parents, early education care providers and professionals and civic and business leaders spanning the state.
From that assessment leader composed a strategic plan to address these issues and improve early childhood education overall in the state. This plan would include improvements in several areas such as learning, health care as well as parental education.
The executive director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, Melissa Rooker spoke on this grant being awarded saying:
This grant will allow us to focus on the implementation of our strategic plan as we work to strengthen our system and achieve our vision that every Kansas child has the best possible start in life.