HOW THE RENO COUNTY CHILD CARE TASK FORCE CAN HELP
Child Care Providers will be the foundation of revolutionizing Reno County’s child care system. Providers play a critical role in our county. Your expertise, your empathy, and your effort shape children’s health, well-being, and learning outcomes. By working together, pooling resources, and sharing information, we can strengthen our child care system and set providers up for success, even through today’s economic challenges.
SHARED SERVICES
Shared Service Networks offer child care providers the opportunity to strengthen their business practices while focusing on what is the most important – the children. This approach is flexible and customizable, and it’s most successful when tailored to a provider’s specific needs.
Learn more on our Shared Services page.
THE CHILD CARE FOOD PROGRAM
The Child Care Food Program (CACFP) is part of the federal school lunch program benefiting children in family day care homes and providing reimbursement to child care providers. Participants must have a current child care license for an eligible private residence and serve and record nutritious meals and snacks that meet program guidelines. Monthly reimbursements for food expenses are determined by a federal standardized rate.
Learn more about the benefits of the Child Care Links’ Food Program and current federal reimbursement rates.
CHILD CARE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The Reno County Child Care Task Force is working in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) and Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities (KCCTO) to host local quarterly training for childcare providers. Each training includes four two-hour sessions for a total of eight hours of KDHE approved in-service hours.
Learn more about upcoming training opportunites.
PROVIDER DIRECTORY
The Reno County Child Care Task Force has created an online directory of child care options in Reno County. This directory is designed to give families easy access to information about the various child care services available in our community. All licensed Reno County childcare providers can list their services in this directory at no cost.
Click here to update your listing or to be added to the directory.
RETENTION GRANTS
In late 2021, residents of Reno County identified child care as their top priority for local American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. A total of $2.9 million through 2026 is dedicated to Retention Grants, a continuation of the Child Care Aware of Kansas Sustainability Grants, designed to provide unrestricted funding to retain licensed child care facilities in Reno County. Retention Grants are reimbursement based, designed to offset business expenses.
GRANT AMOUNT:
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A total of $362,225 is available to be awarded in 2023
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Individual grant awards will be based on a formula of $220 per child under twelve in care in the prior quarter
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Funds will be disbursed on a reimbursement basis.
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Grant checks will be issued 30 days after each submission window closes.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:
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Permanent and current license through KDHE
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Home, group, and centers, including non-profit and for-profit
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Care for children 0-5 all-day, all-year, no school age programs.
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Located in Reno County, Kansas
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Must agree to all requirements
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Licensed for at least 6 months