TOPEKA, (KSNT) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed the first executive order of her second term on Tuesday, establishing the Early Childhood Transition Task Force.

According to the Governor, the Task Force is charged with reviewing Kansas’ early childhood programs and developing a roadmap for the creation of a new state, cabinet-level agency focused solely on supporting the success of our youngest Kansans.  

“Yesterday, I laid out a vision for my next four years, to make Kansas the best place in America to raise a family. Today we are taking a significant step forward in pursuit of that goal,” Gov. Kelly said. “Giving Kansas kids the strongest start to life is the best possible investment we can make. This task force will determine how to make that investment most effectively.”  

The governor said the task force will analyze the current early childhood system and how it is financed – focusing on gaps, inefficiencies, and redundancies. It will also conduct a series of stakeholder engagement opportunities and draft a transition plan for the new agency. 

Kelly spoke about her administration’s efforts around early childhood in her first term, which included investing more than $270 million to support child care providers.

The task force will include representatives from state government, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, early childhood service providers, and advocacy organizations. Governor Kelly will also invite members of the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House of Representatives to be members of the task force. 

The complete text of the executive order, Executive Order #23-01, can be found here.