By Amanda Petersen, director of KSDE early childhood 

KSDE available to support quality early childhood programming this school year 

A child’s earliest years are an incredible opportunity to support later success. More than 90% of a child’s brain architecture develops by age five, and one million new neural connections happen every second during the first few years of life. 

Families are children’s first and most important teachers. For many Kansas families, early childhood care and education programs support their children’s learning. The Kansas State Department of Education is glad to partner with districts to support quality early childhood programming in the 2025-2026 school year.  

Feel welcome to contact KSDE Early Childhood team members for assistance:  

• KSDE Early Childhood Director Amanda Petersen (Amanda.Petersen@ksde.gov) – for questions related to developing a strong kindergarten readiness strategy in your community, early childhood funding, child care, or the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) 
• KSDE Parents as Teachers Coordinator Lisa Williams (Lisa.Williams@ksde.gov) – for questions related to beginning or continuing parent education programming 
• KSDE Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator Angel Spann (Angel.Spann@ksde.gov) – for questions related to early childhood special education, including preschool environments, outcomes, and transitions from Part C to Part B 
• KSDE State Interagency Coordinating Council Coordinator Stacy Clarke (Stacy.Clarke@ksde.gov) – for questions related to transitions from Part C to Part B, the ASQ, and working together with local interagency coordinating councils 
• KSDE Early Childhood Data Coordinator Trevor Huffman (Trevor.Huffman@ksde.gov) – for questions related to submitting early childhood data in KSDE data collections, including the ENRL 
• KSDE Preschool Programs Coordinator Natalie McClane (Natalie.McClane@ksde.gov) – for questions related to quality preschool programming, the Preschool-Aged At-Risk program, the Kansas Preschool Pilot grant, the Kansas Early Learning Standards, and preschool curriculum.  
• KSDE Early Childhood Administrative Specialist Beccy Strohm (Beccy.Strohm@ksde.gov or (785) 296-6602) – for help in connecting to the right KSDE Early Childhood team member or updating contacts for early childhood programs.  

Harvest of the Month Curriculum 

Did you know the KSDE Child Nutrition and Wellness team offers a free preschool, K-2 and 3-5 curricula centered around Harvest of the Month food items? For example, August’s Harvest of the Month food is melons. The preschool curriculum provides lessons for different subject areas all centered around melons complete with the standards that are being covered with that lesson, book recommendations, and even suggestions for field trips all related to the Harvest of the Month.   

You can find these free monthly lessons on the Child Nutrition and Wellness website on their Farm to Plate page under “What’s New”. For questions about the Farm to Plate project, you can contact Eryn Davis, RDN, LD at Eryn.Davis@ksde.gov or Barb Depew, RD, LD at Barb.Depew@ksde.gov.   

Steps to prepare for successful data collection to begin this school year: 

• Ensure your district is ready to enter children served by early childhood programs in the ENRL (September 20) KIDS Collection. The ENRL Submission Window will be Sept. 22 through Oct. 10, 2025. See kidsweb.ksde.gov and select “Documents” for Guidelines for reporting early childhood program participants. See also the KIDS 2025-2026 Collection System File Specifications:  
• Children receiving Kansas Parents as Teachers services should be marked as 1=YES in KIDS Field D60. 
• Districts receiving Kansas Preschool Pilot grant funds should be keeping a roster of students served by the Kansas Preschool Pilot grant. These students should be marked as 1=YES in KIDS Field D59. At least 50% of the children served by the Kansas Preschool Pilot grant must meet at least one of the at-risk criteria listed in the Kansas Preschool Pilot grant materials. Note that students who qualify for reduced-price meals qualify as at-risk for the purposes of the Kansas Preschool Pilot. Preschool-Aged At-Risk students and preschool students with disabilities may also benefit from services funded by the Kansas Preschool Pilot grant.  
• The format for Preschool-Aged At-Risk Program Participation (KIDS Field D58) has changed this year, so that districts will report each student’s eligibility in more detail. See the KIDS File Specifications and the 2025-2026 Preschool-Aged At-Risk Program Requirements and Assurances  for more information.  
• The KSDE Training Portal provides “Early Childhood and KIDS System” process modules. Please note that the modules do not utilize the 2021-2022 specifications, though processes are unchanged. 
• The KSDE Fiscal Auditing webpage includes the calendar of events schedule and registration information for 11 in-person Counting KIDS workshops that will occur Aug. 25 – Sept. 12. Counting KIDS workshops are presented by KSDE Fiscal Auditing to discuss counting students on count day and the information to enter in KIDS (Kansas Individual Data on Students) for funding purposes. KIDS training staff will also present and be available for questions. The Fiscal Auditing webpage is also your resource for soon-to-be-released will also include updated Enrollment Handbook, audit guides, a “Preparing for your KSDE Audit” resource, and Building Log Calculators. a 465-hour Building Log Calculator for PreK.  
• The deadline to verify 2024-2025 Early Childhood Special Education data for Indicator 7: Early Childhood Outcomes in the Outcomes Web System is Sept. 15. See the Outcomes Web System User Guide for more information.  
• The Indicator 12: Transition from C to B Data Collection Window is scheduled to open Aug. 26 and close Sept. 26 in the Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS) authenticated application.  
• All Kansas elementary schools are required to partner with families of incoming kindergarten students to collect kindergarten-entry data using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2). All schools must administer the ASQ to incoming kindergarten students by Sept. 22, 2025. All data (including paper screenings and pending Family Access screenings) must be entered into ASQ Online by Sept. 26, 2025. 

2025-2026 early childhood professional learning includes:  

• The KSDE Special Education and Title Services Summer Leadership Conference included sessions focused on Preschool Environments (Indicator 6), Early Childhood Outcomes (Indicator 7), and smooth and effective transitions from Part C to Part B (Indicator 12).  
• The KSDE Great Ideas in Education Conference included sessions focused on how administrators can support quality instruction in early childhood, and how schools can effectively build partnerships with families in early childhood.  
• KSDE will offer a half-hour “Preparing for the Kindergarten Readiness Snapshot” webinar at two different times to review timely resources. Seasoned ASQ users and those new to the ASQ can join these sessions to get ready for the 2025-2026 school year and ask questions. Join us on Aug. 4 at 3:30 p.m. or Aug. 5 at 10 a.m.  
• KSDE Early Childhood staff will be joining the Greenbush Early Childhood Forums this year to connect with early childhood providers and educators. These are free, virtual opportunities to collaborate in group discussions, share experiences and resources, ask questions and discuss trending early childhood topics. Contact Andrea Scott (andrea.scott@greenbush.org) with questions. Forums are from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Aug. 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 7, Nov. 11, Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 10, March 10, April 7 and May 12. Register at events.greenbush.org.  
• See the KSDE Early Literacy / Dyslexia newsletter for professional learning in the coming school year, including workshops focused on understanding and addressing Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).  
• LETRS for Early Childhood Educators – At this time, all ESSER-related spending is paused, and the scheduled training groups are full. Also, knowing individual situations change, space may become available in the planned trainings. Complete this short survey to join the waitlist for a virtual LETRS for Early Childhood Fall Cohort, and you will be notified once final determination is made about funding and availability. 
• The Kansas Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Alignment PreSymposium will be Sept. 9 in Wichita: “Our Journey Through the Developing Nervous System as We Rewire our Perceptions of Discipline.” The Symposium will be Sept. 10-11 and will include an Early Childhood strand.  
• The Kansas Local Interagency Coordinating Council Fall Retreat will be Oct. 24 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This free, virtual opportunity will be appropriate for all early educators and families. This year’s title is Screen Time and Young Minds: What’s the Real Impact – And What Can We Do Instead? Angie Neal, Policy Advisor for Speech-Language Services and Early Literacy in South Carolina State Department of Education, and Elizabeth Brunscheen-Cartagena, Family Life & Resource Management Agent for K-State Research and Extension Sedgwick County, will present.  
• The Kansas Home Visiting Conference will be held at regional locations around the state on Sept. 30, 2025.  
• ESSDACK, Greenbush and Southwest Regional Plains Service Centers will once again host the Kinders Can! conferences. These professional learning opportunities for early educators, including preschool and kindergarten teachers and administrators, will focus on hands-on strategies to deliver quality playful learning opportunities. Save the dates for Dec. 2 in Girard, Dec. 4 in Lawrence, Dec. 11 and 12 in Hutchinson (two sessions of a one-day conference), and April 10 in Sublette.  
• The Kansas Division for Early Childhood (KDEC) Conference is scheduled Feb. 26-27 in Wichita.  
• The state of Kansas has launched the Cape portal, an online training directory for early childhood professional learning. While Cape is currently focused primarily on professional learning for child care providers, it includes many opportunities that may be of interest to school-based early childhood staff. Visit www.yourcape.org to create an account and view upcoming courses.  
• Stay up to date on the Kansas early childhood system: The team supporting the state All in for Kansas Kids strategic plan for early childhood shares weekly email updates and hosts monthly webinars. Visit the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund website to sign up.