Kansas’ new Office of Early Childhood (OEC) will merge three departments and consolidate nearly 20 existing state programs serving children and families following Governor Laura Kelly’s signing into law House Bill 2045 which received overwhelming bipartisan support in the legislature.
The new office will house child care licensing, child care subsidy, home visitation programs, and the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund.
The new law also streamlines early childhood licensure processes and regulatory structures to eliminate barriers to becoming a licensed child care provider and support the early childhood workforce. In addition, the OEC sets standards for various career pathways and qualification requirements for various early childhood educator positions, and authorizes the creation of pilot programs for developing new licensure categories and eliminates certain licensure fees currently charged to providers, allowing for more child care businesses to open and slots to be created.
The legislation was passed by the House 99-23 and in the Senate 30-10.
Governor Kelly praised the bipartisan support for the measure:
“House Bill 2045 is a win for businesses, early childhood providers, and most importantly, Kansas children and families. Now, our early childhood system will no longer be bogged down by inefficiencies and bureaucratic red tape. Through collaboration with the Legislature, this bill will streamline access to high-quality early childhood services and make Kansas the premier place to raise a family while ensuring the highest standards for child well-being and safety.”
Sen. Beverly Gossage, a Eudora Republican, chairs the Public Health and Welfare Committee and the Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight. She sees efficiencies in the consolidation of services:
“We had licensing under the Department of Education, we had funding under DCF (Department of Children and Families), we had the Children’s Cabinet,” she said. “So, the idea was to create the Office of Early Childhood and have a director in that office, overseeing three subdivisions.”
House Speaker Dan Hawkins applauded the expansion of child care opportunities in the new law:
“Kansas has a very urgent need for more affordable childcare, and this legislation hits directly at bottlenecks in the system that, quite frankly, suppress availability and drive up cost. These are real solutions that will immediately increase slots by reducing overly burdensome regulations, streamlining support services for providers and families, and addressing underserved and rural shortages by increasing flexibility for home-based providers.”
The governor’s news release noted that the OEC, opening on or before July 1, 2026, will be staffed by current state employees who will be retained in their existing roles and funded through existing state resources, as the office’s functions already exist across state government. The governor will appoint a transition director and an interagency transition team to oversee the consolidation of programs into the office. That transition will begin this July 1st.
