July 2023 Newsletter

Kansas Action for Children
July 27, 2023

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Kansas in Top 10 for Economic Well-Being, but Inaccessible, Unaffordable Child Care Threatens Parents’ Financial Security

Kansas ranks seventh in economic well-being but is in the middle of the pack in education, health, and family and community context outcomes, according to the 2023 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring.

Despite Kansas families’ financial security, it generally isn’t translating into better opportunities for Kansas kids. For instance, Kansas’ lack of affordable and accessible child care short-changes children and causes parents to frequently miss work or even quit their jobs, while those who can find care are paying greatly for it. Read more about the Data Book’s findings for Kansas...

This wide-reaching lack of child care throughout the state has cascading economic impacts. The Data Book found that the lack of affordable child care costs the U.S. economy more than $100 billion every year. If parents don’t have dependable, safe places for their children to go, they can’t reliably get to work, affecting not only direct businesses, but also the spending power in local communities.

Collectively, we can start improving the state of Kansas’ child care crisis. But it will take all of us – advocates, lawmakers, parents, providers, businesses, and communities – working together to find the best solutions so that Kansas kids are in the safest environments possible and keep our communities thriving. Read our op-ed via the Kansas Reflector...

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New on the KAC Blog

Data Shows Kids Significantly Impacted by KanCare Redeterminations

Kansas released the second set of data for how the year-long KanCare unwinding process is going. Since the first data release in early June, there have been only small increases in processing renewals, while there is a large increase in the number of letters sent out to KanCare members.

One thing remains constant: Kansas kids remain at a significantly higher risk of losing their KanCare coverage during this process, even if they remain eligible for coverage. This second set of data shows that 62% of those who fall into the 90-day review period (have yet to return a renewal form) are children. Read more...

FY 2023 Revenue Tracker

June 30 marked the end of FY 2023, and with it, a year of strong revenue collections. The latest forecast had the state ending the year with a $1.9 billion surplus, largely attributable to back-to-back months of strong revenues. Read more of how we got here...

Budget Calendar: Important Dates for Advocates

The annual budget process is long and complicated. We’ve prepared a state budget calendar so you can more easily understand how it works, why it matters, and how you can influence the process. Download it here...

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