U.S. Education Secretary weighs in on Kansas ‘school choice’ debate
6 September 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – On Wednesday, Governor Laura Kelly announced Kansas has been awarded $40 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury for a program to expand child care and to renovate multi-purpose facilities that create child care slots.
The program, the Capital Projects Fund Accelerator (CPF Accelerator), provides grant opportunities for the construction, renovation or rehabilitation of community facilities.
“The Capital Projects Fund Accelerator Grant program is another example of how my administration is finding new ways to expand access to affordable, quality child care and other essential community services,” Kelly said. “This grant opportunity will enable more communities to work with local businesses to meet a pressing need for Kansas families.”
The program’s targeted outcomes are to increase the number of individuals receiving access to education, increase access to mental and/or behavioral health needs, increase access to supports such as broadband expansion and increase child care for children from birth to five years old, according to the Request for Proposal (RFP) document.
According to the RFP document, communities interested in applying for the RFP must:
Manage capital grant and/or community development projects that include major renovation or new construction.
Collaborate at the community level through existing coalitions and governance structures that support the health, employment, child care, and education needs of children and families.
Utilize data to drive local decision-making for economic development and investments.
Interpret and apply federal and state rules and regulations, including the ability to track and respond to federal reporting requirements
Providing high-quality, developmentally appropriate early learning programming.
There are two submission options for RFP open here. The first round deadline for applications is Oct. 2, 2023 and the second round deadline is Dec. 18. Applications are submitted online via the Kansas CommonApp portal.