November 2023 Newsletter

Kansas Action for Children
November 30, 2023

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Prepping for the 2024 Session

The KAC team has been hard at work this interim prepping for the upcoming legislative session. In the last month, we’ve had a few new faces join the team.

Alice Fitzgerald, our Fiscal Policy Analyst, will be our eyes and ears for anything budget-related throughout the session and develop meaningful recommendations to improve the lives of Kansas children and their families.		Emily Barnes, our Education Policy Advisor, will advocate for policies that ensure every Kansas kid has the opportunity to access a robust education – child care, pre-K, and K-12 throughout their development.

You can review their backgrounds and refamiliarize yourself with the rest of the KAC team here.

Hiring — Tax Policy Advisor

Do you know someone who is passionate about equitable tax policy? Encourage them to apply for our Tax Policy Advisor position!

We know that sustained support for equitable tax policy paired with targeted investments can help strengthen families in the short run and build a stronger state economy down the road. This position focuses on understanding and promoting policy solutions that help families gain financial security. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Child Care Interim Committee Makes Recommendations

On November 1, the Special Committee on Child Care Centers and Child Care Homes met for the second — and final — time. The Committee ended the meeting by voting and approving nearly two dozen recommendations, several of which KAC and other early learning advocates had given the Committee before the meeting. Some of these include:

• Consider a state level child tax credit that mirrors the federal tax credit and explore the Kentucky plan in which child care workers get free child care for their own children
• Explore increasing income eligibility for child care assistance beyond 250% of FPL
• Explore allocating child care assistance payments directly to providers
• Consider reimbursement at the Tier 1 rate for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• Consider financial incentives for specialty care options, like infant care or extended hours
• Consider reducing child care assistance co-pays (long-term idea)
• Consider health care and retirement benefits for child care workers (long-term idea)

The Committee didn’t make firm commitments to an idea or solution. Instead, they voted to “consider” or “explore” proposals, which means advocates have opportunities to clarify and promote these ideas in the coming 2024 session.