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| Kansas Teachers of Young Children | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kansas Teachers of Young Children |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | Topeka, Kansas |
| Region served | Kansas |
| Membership | Early childhood educators |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Kansas Teachers of Young Children is a statewide professional association serving early childhood educators and caregivers in Kansas, focused on supporting professional growth, advocating for young learners, and connecting practitioners across settings. The organization engages with schools, childcare centers, higher education institutions, and policy bodies to promote best practices and standards for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary instruction. Through conferences, publications, and alliances, it links classroom practitioners with national and regional organizations to influence program quality and workforce development.
The organization traces roots to mid-20th century regional efforts linking educators from University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Emporia State University, and Fort Hays State University with national movements like National Association for the Education of Young Children, Head Start, Children's Defense Fund, American Academy of Pediatrics, and National Head Start Association. Early initiatives connected members to landmark programs and events such as Preschool Head Start, the War on Poverty, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the War on Poverty era community efforts. Over decades the association collaborated with state agencies including the Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas Department for Children and Families, and local school districts in Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City, Kansas, Overland Park, Kansas, and Lawrence, Kansas to respond to shifting federal policies like the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act. Influences and partnerships have involved organizations such as National Governors Association, Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Early Childhood, Zero to Three, and advocacy groups like Kansans for Quality Mental Health Services and Children's Mercy Hospital.
The mission emphasizes quality early learning aligned with standards from entities like National Association for the Education of Young Children, Common Core State Standards Initiative, Head Start Program Performance Standards, Early Learning Standards adopted by states, and guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics. Programs include annual conferences bringing speakers from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Yale Child Study Center, Columbia Teachers College, Vanderbilt University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; summer institutes modeled on practices advocated by HighScope Educational Research Foundation, Bank Street College of Education, Erikson Institute, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps. The association organizes classroom resources drawing on research from Robert Piaget-inspired developmental studies, publications by Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Maria Montessori, John Dewey, and contemporary scholars at Brooks-Gunn Lab, Carnegie Mellon University, and RAND Corporation.
Membership comprises preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, childcare directors, family childcare providers, university faculty, and students from institutions like Butler Community College, Johnson County Community College, Baker University, Pittsburg State University, and Hutchinson Community College. The governing board interacts with bodies such as Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas Senate, Kansas House of Representatives, Topeka Board of Education, and municipal agencies in Manhattan, Kansas and Garden City, Kansas. Affiliations include chapters linked to National Association for the Education of Young Children, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Council of Chief State School Officers, and regional groups like Midwestern Higher Education Compact. Honorary recognitions have conferred associations with figures from Eleanor Roosevelt-era social reforms to contemporary honorees from Americas Promise Alliance and Teach For America alumni.
The association offers workshops and credential pathways aligned with state frameworks including guidance from Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas Department for Children and Families, and certification systems modeled after national credentials like Child Development Associate and licensure frameworks influenced by National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Training topics bring experts associated with Zero to Three, Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Early Childhood, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and American Psychological Association. Professional development includes collaborations with university extension programs at University of Kansas Medical Center, research from Pediatrics Research Group, and standards promoted by National Institute for Early Education Research and Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center.
Advocacy efforts coordinate with state legislative processes in the Kansas Legislature and national policy campaigns involving United States Department of Education, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start, and nonprofit coalitions like Save the Children. Policy initiatives address funding formulas tied to Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorizations, workforce compensation discussions influenced by reports from Economic Policy Institute and Bureau of Labor Statistics, and early childhood care regulations aligned with Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services when linked to child health services. The group has participated in coalitions with Kansans CAN, Kansas Action for Children, Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund, Kansas Association of School Boards, and legal support from ACLU of Kansas on civil rights and equity issues.
Community partnerships include collaborations with medical centers like Children's Mercy Hospital, social service organizations such as United Way of the Plains, cultural institutions like Kansas State Historical Society, museums including Exploration Place, and libraries in networks such as Kansas Library Association. Outreach programs engage families through joint projects with Food Bank of Western Massachusetts-style food security models adapted locally, health initiatives in coordination with WIC (United States Department of Agriculture) programs, and literacy campaigns partnering with First Book, Reading Is Fundamental, Jumpstart, and local museums. The association networks with philanthropic funders like Kemper Foundation, Newman Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, and national donors connected to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation to support scholarships, research, and pilot programs.
Category:Professional associations based in Kansas