State Profiles

Alabama	Arkansas	California	Connecticut
Florida	Georgia	Illinois	Iowa
Kansas	Kentucky	Louisiana	Maine
Maryland	Massachusetts	New Jersey	New Mexico
New York	North Carolina	Ohio	Oklahoma
Oregon	Pennsylvania	South Carolina	Tennessee
Texas	Vermont	Virginia	Washington
Washington DC	West Virginia	Wisconsin

1998		The At-Risk Four-Year-Old Preschool Program is established by the legislature and receives an inaugural appropriation of $3 million.
1999		Smart Start Kansas is established with $3 million from the state’s share of the master tobacco settlement.  Monies can be used to support a variety of services that benefit young children ages birth through five.
2002		Pre-k funding increases to $12.7 million and the At-Risk Four-Year-Old Preschool Program serves over 5,000 children.
2005		The legislature increases pre-k funding to $13.6 million and Smart Start Kansas funding to $8.45 million; the program serves approximately 15 percent of Kansas’ four year olds.
2006		Kansas’ Pre-K Pilot Program is established and receives initial funding of $2 million to be distributed among six counties.  Eligibility is targeted to children from low-income families or who have one of several risk factors, including a parent serving in the military. The Coalition for School Readiness is formed and comprises diverse stakeholders across the state.  They are working on a birth-to-five agenda that includes expanding access to high-quality pre-k. The Coalition's efforts aim to raise awareness about the benefits of early learning and to develop a cadre of supporters both within and outside of government.
2007		Governor Sebelius proposed a $3.5 million increase for the Pre-K Pilot Program, but the legislature only passed a $3 million increase. The governor proposed and the legislature passed flat funding the At-Risk Four-Year-Old Preschool Program, which serves 6,000 children.
2008		The legislature approved $14.4 million in funding for early education, including $11.1 million to establish an Early Childhood Block Grant. The funds will be administered by the Children's Cabinet. In addition, the budget shifted certain early learning programs from the state general fund to the Children's Initiative Fund (CIF), which means Kansas now has a dedicated funding stream for early learning and next year will seek to move pre-k into the school funding formula.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius has been a strong pre-k advocate and is committed to increasing access to high-quality pre-k during her tenure.  She was influential in creating the new pilot program and is supportive of efforts to improve the quality of programs throughout the state. 

The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Kansas Action for Children, the Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and the Kansas Head Start Association have been instrumental in leading the campaign for high quality pre-k. They formed a strong coalition of diverse supporters, including business leaders, early education providers, Head Start leaders, law enforcement officials, and K-12 stakeholders, and are working to educate the public and policymakers about the benefits of pre-k.

Advocates in Kansas will continue to develop their coalition and focus on effective strategies to expand access to high-quality pre-k programs in the state.  They will work with leaders inside and outside of government to support expansion of the pilot program and quality enhancements for the At-Risk program.  Additionally, advocates will look to expand pre-k eligibility so that more children are given the opportunity to start school with the skills they need to succeed.