Several state agencies are partnering for the Early Childhood Transition Task Force, which is charged with reviewing Kansas’ early childhood programs and developing a roadmap for the creation of a new state, cabinet-level agency focused solely on supporting the success of young Kansans. 

Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order on Tuesday, Jan. 10, to establish the Early Childhood Transition Task Force. 

Amanda Petersen, the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) director of Early Childhood, attended the executive order signing. 

The task force will analyze the current early childhood system and how it is financed – focusing on gaps, inefficiencies, and redundancies. It will also conduct a series of stakeholder engagement opportunities and draft a transition plan for the new agency. 

The task force will build on the Kelly administration’s first-term efforts around early childhood, which include investing more than $270 million to support child care providers and increasing access to reliable, affordable child care. 

The task force will include representatives from state government, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, early childhood service providers and advocacy organizations. 

Kelly also will invite members of the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House of Representatives to be members of the task force. 

The complete text of Executive Order #23-01 can be found here.