07.20.26
The Kansas Office of Early Childhood (KOEC) officially opened its doors July 1, 2026. KOEC is responsible for Kansas’ early childhood system, serving communities and stakeholders by developing a statewide strategy for expanding access to early childhood education and care, and consolidating nearly 20 existing state programs serving young children and families.
Governor Laura Kelly noted: “For years, we have been striving to streamline access to early childhood services for Kansas businesses, child care providers, and families.” This has been core to the vision and work of the All In For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan. Kansas leaders have been shifting from insulated work within individual state agencies and moving toward more unified decision making, data sharing, and cross-cutting solutions to better meet the needs of young children. This office improves state’s ability to connect families to the right service at the right time, increase capacity and access to services, enhance quality, offer families seamless transitions, and measure impact across the full continuum of early childhood services.
This is a big win for kids and families, but it’s hardly the end of the work of building the early childhood ecosystem. KOEC Director Christi Smith remarked that while the KOEC opening “…is a significant milestone, it is not the finish line. Now begins the hard work of building the stronger system that Kansans deserve.” Furthermore, we know that state agencies are just one part of the early childhood ecosystem, which includes organizations, businesses, and practitioners in every community in every part of the state.
Check out our early childhood system’s progress and learn more about being “All In”!
07.20.26
The Kansas Office of Early Childhood (KOEC) officially opened its doors July 1, 2026. KOEC is responsible for Kansas’ early childhood system, serving communities and stakeholders by developing a statewide strategy for expanding access to early childhood education and care, and consolidating nearly 20 existing state programs serving young children and families.
Governor Laura Kelly noted: “For years, we have been striving to streamline access to early childhood services for Kansas businesses, child care providers, and families.” This has been core to the vision and work of the All In For Kansas Kids Strategic Plan. Kansas leaders have been shifting from insulated work within individual state agencies and moving toward more unified decision making, data sharing, and cross-cutting solutions to better meet the needs of young children. This office improves state’s ability to connect families to the right service at the right time, increase capacity and access to services, enhance quality, offer families seamless transitions, and measure impact across the full continuum of early childhood services.
This is a big win for kids and families, but it’s hardly the end of the work of building the early childhood ecosystem. KOEC Director Christi Smith remarked that while the KOEC opening “…is a significant milestone, it is not the finish line. Now begins the hard work of building the stronger system that Kansans deserve.” Furthermore, we know that state agencies are just one part of the early childhood ecosystem, which includes organizations, businesses, and practitioners in every community in every part of the state.
Check out our early childhood system’s progress and learn more about being “All In”!