A Commitment Worth Keeping.
Legislators agreed that investing early is a commitment worth keeping. The Legislature renewed its commitment to invest in our future by continuing to dedicate the Children's Initiatives Fund (CIF) dollars to early learning opportunities - such as Early Head Start, Pre-K and Smart Start.

What is the Children’s Initiatives Fund?Administered by the Children’s Cabinet, the Children’s Initiatives Fund (CIF) was created by the 1999 Legislature to fund programs promoting the health and welfare of Kansas children. Click here for more information on the CIF.

Which early learning programs are funded by CIF dollars?
A number of critical programs, aimed at improving the health and well-being of Kansas children, are funded by CIF dollars. These programs include Smart Start, Pre-K, Early Head Start and the Child Care Quality Initiative.

Why Are CIF Dollars Important?
Our future depends upon the health, education and economic success of our next generation. Nearly a decade ago, Kansas made a commitment to our state’s future prosperity by establishing the Children’s Initiatives Fund (CIF). We dedicated those CIF dollars to quality early learning programs ­— programs like Early Head Start, Pre-K and Smart Start — that are making a difference every day in the lives of our youngest citizens and in the livelihood of our state. 

An educated workforce.
Quality early learning programs provide our next generation with the tools they’ll need to be productive in the workforce — an ability to interact with peers, to manage stress and meet expected challenges, to focus attention and take direction, to gain confidence and a sense of community belonging, and to communicate effectively. Early learning opportunities are proven to result in increased literacy rates, a reduced need for special education services, and improved high school graduation rates. 

A healthy next generation.
Quality early learning programs help families and communities in raising a generation of children that is equipped for school and for life. When children have access to quality early learning programs, we will all benefit from lower crime rates, reduced teen pregnancy rates and reduced drug use. In fact, research shows that children who have access to quality early learning programs are half as likely to be involved in a criminal offense later in life.

A thriving economy. Quality early learning programs lay the foundation for future economic success. Research tells us that children who have positive early learning experiences grow up three times more likely to earn a higher income, more likely to own a home and half as likely to be on welfare as an adult.

Resources and Links
Listen to KAC's radio ad (mp3 file)
Download KAC's newspaper ad (PDF)
Kansas Coalition for School Readiness
Kansas Head Start Association
Kansas Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
Kansas Children's Cabinet