Kim Ensminger, superintendent of Marmaton Valley school district, predicted two years ago that Moran would need more child care options.
The town has only two daycare providers. Both are at full capacity.
So Ensminger approached the school board with a bold proposal: Build a childcare center on the Marmaton Valley campus to not only meet the needs of local families but also help attract those elsewhere.
With the board’s support, Ensminger envisions a future where access to affordable, quality childcare will keep more families — and therefore, more students — in the district. It will attract and retain teachers. And it will give future Marmaton Valley students a head start on their education for years to come.
Now, her vision is lining up with the harsh reality of a nationwide need for early child care, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the issue to the forefront.
Child care and early education are essential to the success of families, businesses, educational institutions and the entire community. Not only is it crucial for the development of children, it allows parents to remain part of the workforce. Yet child care is often unaffordable for many families, and in many places, simply not available.
The State of Kansas and the federal government have offered billions of dollars to meet the need. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allocated funding for more than 220,000 programs through the $24 billion Child Care Stabilization Program, and another $15 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which helps low-income families pay for child care.
Child Care Aware of Kansas, in partnership with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, is also offering grants to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care.
The Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund announced in September it will award $38 million for construction of new child care facilities to support work, health and education.
The timing is ideal for Ensminger’s plan.
A $45,000 grant from Child Care Aware paid for an architect to study and design a center, and Ensminger will use those plans to apply for a grant from the Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund in hopes of constructing the facility. The application deadline is Dec. 18.
Ensminger attended meetings of the Allen County Child Care Coalition, organized by Thrive Allen County to bring together daycare leaders, school officials, business owners and others to find solutions. The group unanimously supported Ensminger’s grant application, noting the need for child care in the eastern part of the county.
Ensminger said she’s learned a lot from Janie Works, owner of The Growing Place in Humboldt, who has been successful in obtaining multiple grants for her facility.
“She’s a wealth of knowledge,” Ensminger said. “(The coalition) has been very informative and helped me gain an understanding of that world, because daycare has different rules and regulations than the K-12 system.”
Ensminger is encouraged to have the support of a diverse group of community leaders. She also has been working with Greenbush, the southeast Kansas educational cooperative.
