Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Janet Schalansky today announced that a $350,000 grant has been awarded the agency to provide a child care apprenticeship program in Kansas.

The purpose of the Early Care and Education Apprenticeship Grant, a new grant program funded by the United States Department of Labor, is to help raise the quality of child care by providing training to child care workers. Kansas is one of 10 states and the District of Columbia to receive the grant award.

Secretary Schalansky said it is important to continue working to improve the quality of child care, and this grant offers another opportunity to do that. It will improve professionalism in the field of child care.

"The impact of environment on early brain development in young children is dramatic," she said. "Providing quality child care has a long-lasting, positive impact on children. And the key to quality child care is professionally-trained child care workers."

At child care centers approved for the grant, it will provide a salary stipend to center workers who work 2,000 hours a year and attend training of 144 hours a year in addition to their full time employment. The grant will also be used to hire a grant coordinator and may be used to help ftmd course work in child care.

It is expected that three or four child care centers in Kansas will be approved as pilot sites. The salary stipend will be made available to interested workers at the sites chosen as pilots.

An Early Care and Education Apprenticeship Grant executive advisory committee will make recommendations to the Secretary concerning which sites to ftind. The advisory committee is made up of representatives from numerous state, federal and non-profit agencies, including the Head Start Association, the Kansas Department of Education, and the Office of the Governor.

Secretary Schalansky praised the coordinated effort.
"It is critical that agencies work with each other to raise the quality of child care in Kansas," Schalansky said.

An announcement concerning pilot sites for the program is expected by June.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001