Child Start

Exciting News, Child Start Family!  We’re thrilled to announce that Child Start has been nominated for the Best of Wichita in three categories this year! Your support can help us win, and you can vote daily from August 19th through September 6th by visiting https://votewichitaks.com.  To cast your vote for Child Start as the Best of Wichita, follow these steps: Categories: Education: - Childcare   - Pre-School  Services:   - Nonprofit Organization  Submit your ballot and don’t forget—you can vote every day! Spread the word, and let’s make this happen together. Thank you for your support!

We started day three of pre-service with an important session on keeping children safe, emphasizing our role as mandated reporters. Jeff Sanders then energized us with a motivating talk on staying productive, organized, and managing our time in a healthy way. To top it off, it was pajama day—a fun way to bond, learn, and express our unique styles!

🥳1st day of Pre-Service was a wonderful success! Thank you to the amazing support form United Way of the Plains. Their partnership had given us the perfect start to our annual campaign. Thank you Brandon Converse for the informational update! We truly appreciate our esteemed Board members - Ruse Brown, Rob Pinnell, Shannon Benoit, Kellie Hogan, Teresa Houston, Becky Tuttle, and Candice Johnson - your presence today had set the tone for an amazing year! #childstartpreservice #UnitedWayPartnership #Inspiration

There was a great turnout this weekend at the Back-to-School Resource Fair at GraceMed in Eastridge! Child Start was one of several organizations who came out to provide resources to families before the new school year. We were thrilled to get out into the community and interact with families as part of this dynamic event. Families were able to learn more about our services while also collecting free materials or even get their haircut by volunteer barbers in attendance. Thank you to GraceMed for hosting us and to all of those who came out to make this event one to remember!

Yesterday at the ICT Child Care Entrepreneur Summit, family childcare providers and employers came together to see how they could bridge the gap with the childcare crisis. We were joined by The City of Wichita, The Greater Wichita Partnership, the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, Congressman Ron Estes, WSU, Public Policy Management, and Workforce Alliance of South-Central Kansas, Inc. Congressman Ron Estes graced us as a special guest speaker! All participants walked away with new partnerships and resources. Thank you to all that joined us to make it a great day!

We had a blast Wednesday at the PACT event at our 2nd Street location! Parents and Children Together is an essential part of our curriculum which encourages family participation in classroom development. The children and their parents were able to get crafty and decorate their own popsicles. Art projects are essential in the development of creative and critical thinking as well as fine motor skills. Thank you to all of the parents who came to hang out with us!

Big thank you to PBS Kansas and all of the families who made it out to summer STEAM this morning! The children had a blast with a variety of different activities each providing a unique experience. Children were able to make their own bracelets and art projects, build forts, learn about tornadoes at the weather station and even produce their own videos at the video creation station! Don't forget to join us at 9:00 a.m. next Friday at the Great Plains Nature Center for another fun and educational summer STEAM event!

Today, we had the privilege of joining the East Wichita Rotary Club to discuss the vital investment in our community through early care and education. City of Wichita Council Member Tuttle and Child Start Executive Director, Tanya Bulluck emphasized the crucial need to bridge the gap between supply and demand for quality, affordable childcare in Wichita. We delved into the economic and social advantages of fortifying our early care and education system in Kansas. Additionally, we highlighted our commitment to providing business support and financial empowerment to address inequities and ensure access to resources for the early childhood workforce. Though progress has been made, there's still much to accomplish. We extend our gratitude to our supportive community partners as we strive to create a brighter future for today's children and tomorrow's leaders.

We are joining other nonprofits to collectively drive impact in our community as a 2024 @UnitedWayPlains funded partner! #ForceForGood #LiveUnited