On Thursday Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced that Child Care Aware of Kansas, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Office of Recovery, has launched a new Child Care Health Consultant Network to provide technical assistance to licensed child care providers as they implement COVID-19 health and safety guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After working directly with a consultant to assess the environment, child care programs are eligible to apply for grant funding to purchase supplies or make adaptations to home or center-based facilities. Child Care Aware of Kansas anticipates providing $3.5 million in grants and supplies.
A recent study by Yale University showed that child care settings were not associated with increased risks of COVID-19 infections provided that appropriate health and safety measures were taken. Kansas’ Child Care Health Consultants work with child care providers to implement the most current guidance from the CDC and KDHE.
So far, 415 child care programs have requested consultations.