The Early Childhood Transition Task Force will embark on a statewide community engagement tour to discuss the challenges communities face in supporting children through their earliest years, Gov. Laura Kelly announced earlier this week. 

The task force, created by Gov. Kelly’s first executive order of her second term, is charged with reviewing Kansas’ early childhood care and education system and with developing a roadmap for creating a cabinet-level agency dedicated to supporting our youngest Kansans. 

“If we want to give our kids the best possible future, then we must give them the strongest possible start. That’s why I started my second term by taking a step to expand access to childcare and early childhood development programs,” Gov. Kelly said. “Now, we want to hear from Kansans about what my administration and our partners can do to put Kansas on the path to having the most comprehensive, robust early childhood system in the country.” 

The task force will visit nine cities across the state to discuss successes and challenges affecting the early childhood sectors in each community. These meetings are open to the public. Families, service and care providers, community leaders and business representatives are encouraged to attend. Please consider promoting these opportunities in your community using the resources linked below. 

Participants will engage in facilitated discussions designed to generate feedback on how the state is administering early childhood programs and how Kansans interact with the state’s governance system. 

Each meeting will be conducted with the assistance of The Hunt Institute, which has been providing support to the task force’s work. 

The tour schedule is as follows: 

Tuesday, June 27  

• 9 a.m.: Chanute - Neosho County Community College (Student Union), 800 W. Fourteenth St., Chanute.

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• 2 p.m.: Wichita - Child Start, 1002 S. Oliver St., Wichita. 

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Wednesday, June 28  

• 9 a.m.: Garden City - Russell Child Development Center, 2735 N. Jennie Barker Road, Garden City. 

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• 2 p.m.: Hays - Rockwell Administrative Center, 323 W. 12th St., Hays. 

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• 5 p.m.: Salina - Donna L. Vanier Children’s Center, 155 N. Oakdale Ave., Salina. 

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Thursday, June 29 

• 9 a.m.: Manhattan - Manhattan-Ogden School District, College Hill Early Learning Center, 2600 Kimball Ave., Manhattan. 

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• 1 p.m.: Topeka - Bishop Professional Development Center, 3601 S.W. 31st St., Topeka. 

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Friday, June 30  

• 10 a.m.: Overland Park - Shawnee Mission School District, Center for Academic Achievement, 8200 W. 71st St., Overland Park. 

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• 1 p.m.: Kansas City—Children’s Campus of Kansas City, 444 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. 

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