2018 Spring Kansas Child

LEADELL EDIGER
Executive Director
Child Care Aware ®
of Kansas
Kansas Child
is a publication of
Child Care Aware ®
of Kansas
Executive Director
Leadell Ediger
Editors
BWearing Consulting
Angie Saenger, Deputy
Director
Publication Design
Julie Hess Design
On the Cover
Genesis Abigail Matthews,
age 4, of Salina.
Child Care Aware ® of Kansas,
1508 East Iron, Salina, Kansas 67401,
publishes Kansas Child quarterly,
which is made possible through the
financial support of the members
of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas and
sponsorships from our corporate,
private, and foundation partners.
Kansas Child is intended to provide
a forum for the discussion of child
care and early education issues and
ideas. We hope to provoke thoughtful
discussions within the field and to
help those outside the field gain a
better understanding of priorities
and concerns. The views expressed
by the authors are not necessarily
those of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas
or its sponsors.
Copyright © 2018 by Child Care
Aware ® of Kansas, unless
otherwise noted. No permission
is required to excerpt or make
copies of articles provided that
they are distributed at no cost.
For other uses, send written
permission requests to:
Child Care Aware ® of Kansas,
1508 East Iron, Salina, KS 67401
Kansas Child is distributed at
no cost to Child Care Aware ®
of Kansas donors. Single
copies are available
to anyone at $5 each, prepaid.
Sadly, greeting cards are a bit of a lost art,
but I love them. There is something special
about knowing someone took the time to pick
out a card, jot a message and then actually
drop it in the mail. Recently, I received a really
lovely card. On the cover, it read:
Close Your Eyes and Dream a Dream …
And Seek the Courage to Make it Real.
Reflect on the Past, Envision the future and
embrace today with an open Heart and Soul.
It was the perfect message for me.
Close your eyes and dream a dream …
Every year for 28 years my colleagues, our
staff, volunteers and partners have worked to
make our dream for Kansas children a reality.
The dream is a bold one. It’s big, it’s visionary,
it’s full of hope and promise. ALL children in
Kansas should enter school ready to learn!
And Seek the Courage to Make it Real.
At times, I believe we have been courageous,
working to change policy, to enact laws that
keep Kansas children safe and protected
while their parents are working. Working
to make child care a topic in boardrooms
and employment handbooks. Working
for recognition of child care teachers and
caregivers.
Reflect on the Past, Envision the future …
It does help to reflect on the past when
envisioning the future. Recently, our board
of directors completed a comprehensive
look at where our organization has been,
took time to evaluate our strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and
then thoughtfully updated our strategic plan
through 2020. It’s always a good exercise, and
it feels good to have our path defined.
… and embrace today with an open
Heart and Soul.
But when it really comes down to it, the past
is past and the future is not certain, so what we
really have is today.
The Child Care Aware of Kansas program
staff are reading the book Inspired Work
Showing Up & Shining Bright by Erin Ramsey
(see her feature article on page 4).
And I was inspired, even before I
read a single chapter, because in her
acknowledgments, Ramsey gives her
wholehearted thanks to her early childhood
professionals and teachers! It was such
meaningful recognition of the powerful
work done by often humble people
who typically do not see themselves
as leaders who spark creativity and
lifelong learning skills.
Yet, every day they are helping
to construct the architecture
of children’s brains, teaching
them the enjoyment of
books, building their
curiosity. With an
open heart and soul,
they are creating
the foundation for
tomorrow’s authors,
doctors, firefighters
and teachers.