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Share Your Feedback on Kansas’ Early Childhood Advisory Council Proposal
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (P.L. 111-5) made funding available to improve coordination and collaboration among early childhood education and care programs and services. In the fall 2009, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced the availability of funds made available by ARRA to be awarded to eligible States, Commonwealths and Territories to enable States to develop and implement a plan established by their State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care for children from birth to school entry.
A draft of the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council proposal is POSTED HERE for your comments and feedback. The narrative describes the background of the early childhood system in Kansas through the state’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Plan. The project management plan lays out a general timeline with activities and milestones.
Please review the draft with the following in mind:
Please provide feedback to via e-mail (keccs@ku.edu) by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 18th. Please make your comments in a separate document, noting the page number and section referenced.
KECCS Update
November 2009
Kansas Project LAUNCH
More than 600 Finney County families will benefit from a $4.25 million grant recently awarded to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health), a project of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is a five year cooperative agreement that supports coordination of state and local services to strengthen families. KU’s Institute for Educational Research and Public Service wrote the grant on behalf of KDHE, the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, the Kansas Early Learning Coordinating Council, and the Finney County Community Health Coalition.
According to SAMHSA, Project LAUNCH works toward coordinated programs that take a comprehensive view of health. It addresses the physical, emotional, social, and behavior aspects of wellness. The public health approach addresses the health needs of the population rather than addressing only the health problems of individuals. Project LAUNCH seeks to improve outcomes at the individual and community levels by supporting protective factors that keep families strong.
“Faced with a vibrant and diverse community in Southwest Kansas, the system to support families must address challenges that meet the needs of a rapidly changing population in a largely agriculture community,” said Kevin Gallagher, Vice President of Mission & Ministry, St. Catherine Hospital, Garden City, KS. “This grant will help us develop and enhance service to meet these challenges.”
Eighty percent of the money will go toward efforts in Finney County. While Kansas continues to be predominantly Caucasian, Finney County has experienced tremendous growth in minority populations such as Hispanic, Vietnamese, German Mexican Mennonites, and most recently Burmese and Somalians. There has been a 110 percent increase in residents of Hispanic ethnicity from 1990 to 2000. Currently, 44.5 percent of residents identify as Hispanic, compared with 8.8 percent in Kansas overall.
Through state and local collaboration, Project LAUNCH will support evidence-based services that strengthen families and will enhance current programs in the community. The work will build on early childhood efforts that have been led by Smart Start Southwest Kansas and the Russell Child Development Center. Project LAUNCH will expand strengthening families efforts in Finney County that have been led by the Community Health Coalition partners including the Kansas Children’s Service League, Area Mental Health Center, and USD 457 Parents as Teachers. Finney County was a prime location for the LAUNCH initiative because of the already established collaboration among agencies, businesses, and the community.
The Kansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics will also partner in this effort to provide training on developmental screening in Finney County and in select communities across the state.
“Project LAUNCH represents a great way to be able to work on state issues as well as to enhance services to children and families in Garden City,” said Jim Redmon, Executive Director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. “It’s a great opportunity for children and families.”
H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Update
Flu season is here, and this year there are even more reasons to be informed. Brenda Nickel, Child and School Nurse Consultant with the Bureau of Family Health, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) offers the following updates and resources on this year’s Pandemic Influenza. Be sure to check out the online resources available to support your agency or program in staying healthy this fall and winter!
To help with hand-washing, a new “Exception to the Locked Storage of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer” for licensed preschools, child care centers and school-based programs was issued. The details can be found online at: http://www.kdheks.gov/bcclr/download/Exception_to_locked_storage_of_Alcohol_Based_Hand_Sanitizers.pdf
Influenza resources:
The flu can be very serious, especially for younger children and children of any age who have one or more chronic medical conditions. These conditions include asthma or other lung problems, diabetes, weakened immune systems, kidney disease, heart problems and neurological and neuromuscular disorders. These conditions can result in more severe illness from influenza, including the new H1N1 virus. Additional resources for parents, child care and schools can be found at the KDHE H1N1 Website at http://www.kdheks.gov/H1N1/index.htm.
Tips & Tools
Upcoming Events, Conferences & Training Opportunities in Kansas
Do you have an event, conference or training coming up that would benefit other KECCS partners? Let us know, and we will promote it on the KECCS website and in the newsletter, the KECCS Update. Send information to keccs@ku.edu or contact Rebecca Gillam at (785) 864-7123.
