Kansas

Overview

During the 2022-2023 school year, Kansas preschool enrolled 24,312 children, an increase of 1,733 from the prior year. State spending totaled $94,988,706, and an additional $4,132,317 in TANF funds and $2,585,540 in federal recovery funds supported the program, up $1,674,295 (2%), adjusted for inflation, since last year. State spending per child (including TANF and federal recovery funds) equaled $4,183 in 2022-2023, down $247 from 2021-2022, adjusted for inflation. Kansas met 6 of 10 quality standards benchmarks.

What's New

In January 2023, Governor Kelly established an Early Childhood Transition Task Force. Final recommendations were released in December but did not include major changes for preschool.

The state is also working to update its All In For Kansas Kids Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan, which is work supported under the federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B–5). Release of the updated Strategic Plan is anticipated in 2024.

In January 2024, the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBE) approved updates to the Kansas Early Learning Standards and the Standards were officially released in March 2024.

Background

Kansas supports two state-funded prekindergarten programs. The first, established in 1998, is the State Pre-K 4 Year Old At-Risk Program (more recently renamed the Preschool-Aged At-Risk Program). The second is the Kansas Preschool Pilot (KPP), first offered in the 2006-2007 school year. Both programs are operated by the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) and are reported together due to their similar standards and overlapping enrollment. 

Between the two funding streams, funding was available in all 286 school districts in Kansas, and 2022-2023 marks the second year that 3-year-olds are included in this report. 

In 2015, KSBE announced a new vision for education in the state: Kansas leads the world in the success of each student. Kindergarten Readiness is one identified metric to track progress toward this goal. In 2018, the KSDE was internally restructured to increase emphasis and capacity around early childhood. Beginning in 2020, the Kansans Can Star Recognition Program gives districts the opportunity to apply for recognition in the qualitative Board Outcome areas, including Kindergarten Readiness. This will provide an opportunity to measure and drive quality improvements at the community level.

Preschool Offered by Public School Districts

Access

Total state pre-K enrollment	24,312
School districts that offer state program	100%
Income requirement	130% FPL
Minimum hours of operation	465 hours/year
Operating schedule	School or academic year
Special education enrollment, ages 3 and 4	8,312
Federally funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4	4,740
State-funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4	0

Resources

*Pre-K programs may receive additional funds from federal or local sources that are not included in this figure. †Head Start per-child spending includes funding only for 3- and 4-year-olds. ‡K–12 expenditures include capital spending as well as current operating expenditures.