What's Happening

What’s New With Smart Start?

2008 Grant sees major revisions

The 2008 grant has seen a change in its appearance. We now have three major focal points: Strengthening Families, Supporting Families, and Sustaining Public Awareness for Supportive Communities. The Supporting Families focus addresses Healthy Families, Parent Education, and Challenging Behaviors.

While we still support quality early childhood programs through education, quality standards, and financial support; Smart Start recognizes that more needs to be done to support families of young children in today's world. By using a Strengthening Families framework we provide support for parents to provide a healthy and nurturing environment for their young children.

Goal 1:  Professional Development Events

            Smart Start will provide professional development trainings and college level courses to early childhood educators in the eight core competency areas specified in Kansas and Missouri Early Care and Education Competencies . Providers are reimbursed for training costs and paid mileage to out of town trainings. Trainings will include strategies for implementing Strengthening Families framework.

Goal 2:  Supporting National Early Education Standards

            Smart Start is providing technical and financial assistance to early childhood educators working toward and maintaining the Child Development Associates Credential (CDA). Smart Start will provide on-going technical and financial assistance to family childcare facilities and preschools working on implementing national standards of excellence through the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) and National   Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Goal 3:  Infant/Special Needs Subsidy

               Smart Start will provide eleven subsidized infant and three subsidized special needs slots for area childcare programs to implement developmentally appropriate activities with the child. Each subsidized provider will implement a minimum of two Strengthening Families strategies, including the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, within their program.

Goal 4:  Kids Port Childcare Program

            Smart Start will continue to support Kids Port Group Childcare for non-traditional hours care as a training center for early childhood education and related majors from Colby Community College. The Lead Teacher will mentor, coach, and teach the providers appropriate practices in childcare. The Kids Port Program will also be used as a model for implementing Strengthening Families strategies. 

  Supporting Families: Healthy Families - Parent Education - Challenging Behaviors

Goal 5:  Healthy Families

            Families of infants born in the eleven county Smart Start service area will receive early detection screening and be connected with available support services within the first few days following the child's birth. Four area hospitals will receive funding for time spent administering the screening to families of newborns. Child safety restraints will be made available for families in financial need who complete the screening. 

Goal 6:  Healthy Start Home Visitor Support

  Smart Start will support area county health department Healthy Start Home Visitors through funding support to increase the number of visits received by families of  newborns. During the home visits parents will receive information about child development and parenting. Families in need will be identified for further individual parenting support through an evidence-based parenting curriculum.

Goal 7:  Family Supports

              Smart Start will conduct a study of area needs and resources for families to identify gaps in support systems for parents of young children. The study will be followed by adoption and implementation of strategies within the Strengthening Families framework.Families will be recruited to participate in the Strengthening Families strategies. Early childhood educators will be utilized to help recruit families for participation in the Strengthening Families strategies through financial incentives.

Goal 8:  Enrichment Program for 3 to 5 Year Olds

               Smart Start provides funding to expand the Parents As Teachers (PAT) program. PAT serves children zero to three years old and Smart Start funding. We would increase this coverage to all children up to age five. The goal is to provide seamless services to children until they reach school age.

Goal 9:  Challenging Behaviors

               Behavioral issues are often a cause of frustration for early childhood educators and parents. Smart Start has provided early childhood educators with the services of a professional mental health consultant to address mental health and behavioral challenges that arise in the childcare/early education setting. Many behavioral issues have their     foundation within the family structure. Smart Start will provide funding for an initial consultation for family or play therapy for the families of children in area childcare. This initial step will help families reach out for the support needed to provide the child with a healthy start.

Goal 10:  Business Initiative

                 Businesses in our eleven county service area are being encouraged to consider the impact family issues (childcare, and family support systems) on the economy of the area. Smart Start will continue to educate the business community about childcare issues. To help provide a clearer picture of childcare issues business and civic leaders will be included in a "Play with Me" date.

  Goal 11:  Resource Program

                 Early exposure to quality reading programs has been shown to have a lifelong impact on children's literacy.  Area "Books for Babies" programs as well as two area libraries will receive Smart Start funding to enhance their early reading programs.

Funding made possible by a grant from the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund

Serving the communities in: Cheyenne, Decatur, Graham, Grove, Logan, Rawlins, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, Trego, and Wallace Counties

Goal 13: Strengthening Families

Learning communities of parents and early childhood educators will receive increased knowledge of child development and parenting skills. Smart Start will fund development of these learning communities by corroborating early childhood support groups as well as helping facilitate skill development training.

Child safety seats

On April 21^st of 2006 we received an opportunity for an additional $60,000 in funding from the Kansas Children’s Cabinet. We had until May 5^th to come up with a plan to spend the funding. In addition to expanding some of our regular programs, we are proposing to purchase child safety seats to give away through the Healthy Families grant goal to families with a financial need. The funding would provide training for two Smart Start staff as well as one individual from each Healthy Families participating location to learn correct installation of child safety seats. These individuals could then instruct the parents on correct installation thereby minimizing ineffective car seat usage. It has been estimated that child safety seats that are incorrectly installed are as effective as no use at all. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 40% of all children under age eight who are killed or seriously injured in automobile accidents are unrestrained. New parents are often unfamiliar with how to install these safety seats.

Upcoming Professional Development Trainings