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| Kansas Action for Children | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kansas Action for Children |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Type | Nonprofit advocacy organization |
| Headquarters | Wichita, Kansas |
| Region served | Kansas |
| Focus | Child welfare, family support, public policy |
Kansas Action for Children
Kansas Action for Children is a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Wichita, Kansas that focuses on promoting policies and programs to improve outcomes for children and families across Kansas. The organization engages in research, policy analysis, community outreach, and legislative advocacy to influence state-level decisions affecting child health, nutrition, early childhood services, and family economic supports. It operates within a network of state and national organizations, collaborating with service providers and research institutions to advance a child-centered public agenda.
The organization traces roots to grassroots advocacy efforts in Wichita and Topeka during the 1970s and 1980s, intersecting with movements represented by Children's Defense Fund, National Association for the Education of Young Children, March of Dimes, United Way, and YMCA of the USA. During the 1990s and 2000s it expanded activities alongside statewide actors such as Kansas Legislature, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and Kansas Department for Children and Families, responding to policy debates involving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Child Care and Development Fund. The group has interacted with national policy developments from entities like Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and United States Department of Agriculture. Over time it formed relationships with philanthropic institutions including Kellogg Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and Annie E. Casey Foundation to support research and programmatic expansion.
Kansas Action for Children’s mission emphasizes child well-being through policy change, research, and community engagement. Program areas commonly align with early childhood services associated with Head Start, nutrition initiatives tied to Women, Infants, and Children program, health coverage promotion related to Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program, and family economic supports connected to Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. The organization produces reports and data analyses in concert with research partners such as Pew Charitable Trusts, Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, American Institutes for Research, and RAND Corporation. Direct programmatic outreach has included collaborations with local service providers like Sedgwick County Health Department, Wichita State University, Community Action Agencies, and Catholic Charities to implement pilot projects, training, and public education campaigns.
Advocacy efforts focus on influencing the Kansas Legislature, engaging with state executive agencies, and participating in rulemaking processes under agencies like the Kansas Supreme Court (through child welfare reforms) and Kansas Board of Education (through early learning standards). The organization submits policy briefs, testifies at legislative hearings, and mobilizes stakeholders among constituency groups such as Kansas State Nurses Association, Kansas National Education Association, Kansas Association of School Boards, and Kansas Health Institute. It monitors federal policy developments at bodies such as the United States Congress, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and United States Department of Agriculture for implications on state programs. Kansas Action for Children also engages in voter education and civic participation initiatives alongside civic groups including League of Women Voters, Common Cause, and America Votes affiliates.
The organization operates with an executive leadership team, staff policy analysts, and a volunteer board comprised of professionals from sectors represented by Bartlett & Company, Evergy, EagleMed, Bank of America (regional offices), and academic leaders from University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Wichita State University. Funding sources include foundation grants from entities such as Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Lumina Foundation, community foundations, individual donors, and competitive contracts with agencies like Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund. It also receives project funding aligned with federal programs administered by Health Resources and Services Administration and philanthropic partnerships with organizations such as UnitedHealthcare and regional health systems including Ascension Health and Via Christi Health.
The organization’s impact has been assessed through policy outcomes, program uptake, and published evaluations produced internally and with external evaluators like Mathematica Policy Research, Child Trends, and SRI International. Reported outcomes include changes in state budget allocations for child health and early childhood education, increased enrollment in nutrition programs administered in partnership with Kansas Department of Education, and legislative wins connected to improvements in Child Welfare statutes and eligibility rules for assistance programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program expansions and child care subsidy reforms. Independent analysts from institutions such as Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, Harvard Center on the Developing Child, and Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality have cited state-level policy shifts where the organization was an active stakeholder.
Kansas Action for Children participates in statewide coalitions and national networks including alliances with Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, Kansas Action Network, Midwest Health Policy Network, and national partners such as Children’s Defense Fund, First Five Years Fund, National Women's Law Center, Voices for America’s Children, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Local collaborations include working with Sedgwick County, Shawnee County, Dodge City Community Health Center, Wesley Medical Center, and community-based organizations like United Way of the Plains. The organization also engages in cross-sector initiatives with legal services providers such as Legal Aid of Kansas, research partnerships with Kansas Health Institute, and campaign alliances with civic groups including Promise Neighborhoods initiatives and regional philanthropic consortia.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in Kansas