Follow By Annie McKay KAC President and CEO Today, bi-partisan leaders of the Kansas Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee introduced a new proposal to tackle unintended consequences created by welfare restrictions enacted in 2015 and 2016. The “SOAR” Act (Strategic Opportunities to Achieve Results) offers a handful of commonsense ideas, but two components really excite us at Kansas Action for Children: •Exempts parents attending school or work training from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) strict hourly work requirements and a 24-month lifetime limit for child car ..read more

Follow By Annie McKay KAC President & CEO Kansans are folks who respect hard work. Our “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality grew from our deep pioneer roots. It is both a quintessentially Kansan value and the crux of the American Dream. Unfortunately, the notion that Kansans receiving help from the government do not work hard has become a common but untrue stereotype, and this stigma has grown dangerously toxic. In recent years, state policymakers have championed some of the most punitive and problematic welfare policies in the country. Their most alarming reforms hurt a cr ..read more

Follow By Shannon Cotsoradis Kansas Action for Children President & CEO
 For the last year, state policymakers have engaged in a vigorous debate about how to best help low-income Kansans escape the cycle of poverty. Diverse philosophical approaches have been explored. At Kansas Action for Children, we believe public supports – like cash assistance – give families the critical lift they need when they need it most, increasing their children’s chance of escaping poverty in the future. Some may disagree, suggesting public supports promote government dependency, steal dignity, and discour ..read more

Follow By Shannon Cotsoradis October 29, 2015 On Thursday, October 22nd I had the privilege of presenting at the Kansas Economic Policy Conference.  The theme of this year’s conference was Economic Opportunity in Kansas: What Does the Future Hold?  When we think about what the future holds in Kansas, many of us are quick to focus on the state’s current fiscal situation.  And, while that certainly doesn’t bode well for our future, I think there is another indicator that is just as important. Here are a couple of the thoughts I shared with the audience:     &nb ..read more

Follow By Shannon Cotsoradis Kansas Action for Children President & CEO For struggling Kansans, state-administered safety net programs are an essential lifeline to help families meet basic needs. When the HOPE Act is fully implemented, fewer families with children will have access to pathways out of poverty in Kansas. An already minimal benefit will become more limited. Cash assistance for Kansas families living in deep poverty is already very minimal (a family of three can receive a maximum benefit of just $429 per month). Hundreds of families with children will be cut off from assis ..read more

Follow By Erick Vaughn Executive Director of the Kansas Head Start Association Voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services for at-risk pregnant women and parents with young children is a vital INVESTMENT in our country’s future, economy, families, and children. The Home Visiting Program, builds upon decades of scientific research, provides voluntary, culturally-appropriate, individually-tailored supports to families in their homes, including providing information about children’s health, development, and safety, and when appropriate, referrals to other support services. Recently, Pre ..read more

Follow By Hilary Gee Director of Health Policy Work supports like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Child Care Assistance are proven to help lift families out of poverty. With 1 in 5 Kansas kids living in poverty, we should improve access to support programs, not limit them. Unfortunately, the Kansas Legislature is moving quickly on bills that will severely limit access to programs like TANF. House Bill 2381 and Senate Substitute for House Bill 2258 (previously Senate Bill 256) weaken programs designed and proven to help families get out of poverty. TANF provides small amounts o ..read more

Follow By Charles Bruner Child and Family Policy Center One of the biggest drivers to the American economy and American prosperity over the last 50 years has been the entry of women into the paid American workforce, dramatically expanding the number of workers in society and the pool of skilled workers to drawn upon for innovation and growth. This, however, also has meant new demands on families with children – particularly in the child’s earliest and most formative years. In two-parent families, parents have worked hard to balance bread-winning and care-giving roles – often while startin ..read more

Follow By Shannon Cotsoradis Kansas Action for Children President and CEO Resolving the fiscal crisis our state is facing won’t be child’s play. State legislators have their work cut out for them. And, unfortunately, for today’s Kansas children there will be no do overs if policymakers don’t make choices that put their needs first. As I listened to Gov. Brownback’s State of the State address, I was struck by three key words that I hope policymakers will embrace as they consider how to move forward. According to Gov. Brownback, “It requires the courage to face our challenges head-on and fi ..read more

Follow By Rebecca Gaston Kansas Appleseed Child hunger still exists in Kansas. One in five Kansas children is without access to enough nutritionally adequate foods and is considered food insecure. Approximately one-half of Kansas public school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. But on weekends, holidays and other school breaks, many of these Kansas kids do not have adequate access to regular meals. This weekend, students will have an extended break for Thanksgiving, which means four or five days between meals at school, and many of them do not know if there will b ..read more