KECCS Mission
Ensuring that Kansas is the Best Place to Raise a Child
If Kansans are to continue to prosper, we must ensure that each and every child has the opportunity to develop intellectually, socially, and emotionally. From current research on the early years of childhood, we know that the developing architecture of a child’s brain from birth to age three is crucial to creating the foundation for early success in school and later success in life.
Early childhood stakeholders throughout Kansas realize that this critical development in our young children is everyone’s responsibility. By working together to align our efforts, we can assure that our families, schools, and communities have access to the resources they need to provide safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environments.
Background
Through a two year strategic planning and collaborative building process, early childhood stakeholders from across the State have partnered to develop the Kansas Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (KECCS) Plan, a roadmap to guide the provision of services to young children and families. The KECCS Plan builds on the extensive work of early childhood professionals, the resulting Kansas School Readiness Initiative, and the early childhood priorities of Governor Sebelius and Kansas Legislators.
Purpose
The KECCS Plan utilizes School Readiness as a bridging framework to create a state-wide, unified effort for investing in Kansas through investing in our children.
- The KECCS Plan does
- Unite State system components, funding streams and initiatives.
- Coordinate existing early childhood programs.
- Improve the reach and impact of public and private investments in early childhood.
- Provide a road map for policy makers, State agencies, and local communities to make programmatic and funding decisions in a unified manner.
- The KECCS Plan does not
- Dictate what the early childhood system in Kansas should do.
- Limit the development of new ideas or partnerships.
- Provide an exhaustive list of programs in Kansas working on early childhood issues.
Currently in the implementation stage, the KECCS Plan is flexible and dynamic, and can be altered to reflect State priorities. Through this website, the early childhood community is able to actively contribute to the KECCS Plan, access reports and information, link to other programs, and learn about upcoming events.
The KECCS Plan is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.
The Plan is administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, convened by the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, and managed by the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service at the University of Kansas.