Onecommunity

Today, Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) partners from across the state gathered in Manhattan, KS, for a powerful day of collaboration. The mission was to connect, reflect, and plan for how our team can better support children, families, and child care providers across our communities--and the mission was a success in unifying and aligning everyone who joined! 🤝

Using survey feedback from our teams, these partners focused on three key pillars:
💫 Increasing Awareness
💫 Working as One Statewide Network
💫 Embracing Change as an Opportunity

From celebrating regional success stories to having vulnerable conversations about overcoming challenges, this crew mapped out shared priorities for the next 6-12 months. They also committed to navigating upcoming system changes smoothly, ensuring our teams have the training and implementation support they need to succeed! The day ended with a tour of the Child Care Business Initiative (CBI) space, leaving everyone feeling inspired and ready for what the future holds.

A big "thank you" to all of these incredible partners for their dedication, voices, and continuous commitment to helping Kansas' children and communities thrive. 💙🌻

Thank you to NXTUS for this opportunity to learn from Wichita's enterprise employers about how they manage their organizations for performance at the highest level and how they support their valued employees to stay at the top of their industries.

Kansas Office of Early Childhood | Home The Kansas Office of Early Childhood officially opened on July 1, 2026. The Office consolidated nearly 20 programs and is now the sole agency responsible for Kansas’ early childhood system, serving communities and stakeholders by developing a statewide strategy to expand access to early childhood ...

We were grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Working Well Conference in Wichita this spring. One theme kept coming up: is a workplace issue.

When employees don’t have reliable care, it affects attendance, focus, and long-term retention. Employers want to help; they just need practical ways to do it. Shared Cost Childcare® Benefits from oneCOMMUNITY are one way companies can support working parents while strengthening their teams.

Learn more: https://www.onecommunityks.org/

Thanks to the Health & Wellness Coalition of Wichita for creating space for this conversation.

Our oneCOMMUNITY Board of Directors held our monthly meeting today and heard updates on recent and upcoming activities. We are energized by the momentum of the organization and the new employers we are in the process of onboarding into Shared Cost Childcare® Benefits.

We recognize the burden childcare costs place on families, and the impact that carries over to employers, and we are committed to bringing an affordable solution to our community. Thank you to the employers who have entrusted us with this meaningful service.

A special thank you to Wichita Independent Business Association for this office space, which allows us to convene, collaborate, and continue serving families and businesses across Kansas. The WIBA office space enables us to host hybrid meetings like this one, ensuring broader participation and engagement with our board and partners. We invite you to stop by and say hello if you're in the area.

Thanks to Aligned for your ongoing advocacy for impactful public policies like this increase to state employer-provided childcare tax credits.

These crucial employer investments make business sense, providing critical support for employees and their families and childcare providers in their communities.

Employer-supported child care is becoming a stronger tool for workforce retention.

The federal Employer-Provided Childcare Credit helps businesses offset certain costs when they support child care for employees. Kansas recently built on that idea by expanding its own employer child care tax credit through SB 82.

For businesses, this is another tool to help working parents stay in the workforce, strengthen recruitment and retention, and support local communities.

Child care is not just a family issue. It is a workforce issue.

Big news for Kansas! 🎉

We’ve made it more simple than ever to understand Senate Bill 82 and the expansion of employer child care tax credits in Kansas. This helpful, easy-to-read resource breaks down what’s changing, who can benefit, and why it matters for supporting working families and strengthening our workforce.

Whether you’re a business leader, policymaker, or community partner, this guide is a great place to start exploring the impact of these expanded child care investments. 💫

Take a look and share your thoughts with us! ⬇️

https://buff.ly/1Nl7oMG