Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly marked her top priority by opening the Kansas Office of Early Childhood on July 1, describing it as a move toward building a stronger early childhood system before she leaves office in January. The office consolidates programs and staff from multiple state departments—health and environment, children and families, and education—along with the Kansas Children’s Cabinet to create a single early childhood agency.
Kelly said she signed House Bill 2045 into law in 2025 to establish the office, including provisions such as appointing an ombudsman to advocate for families, initiating childcare pilot programs, and removing certain regulations. The law reduced staffing and licensure requirements for childcare providers, including lowering age and education standards for assistant teachers and removing license regulations for providers watching four or fewer children with no more than two infants for less than 35 hours per week. It also allowed families to opt out of vaccination requirements for religious reasons.
At the opening celebration at the Docking State Office Building in Topeka, Kelly also signed an executive order creating the Kansas Childhood Advisory Council. Christi Smith, named early childhood office director after serving as director of Child Care Aware of Kansas, said the first steps include integrating staff and programs from the four state agencies and listening to the needs of constituents and childcare providers.