Governor hosts summit on early childhood
Sebelius wants every Kansas child to have a healthy start

A Governor’s Summit on Early Childhood, Building Blocks: Readying Kids for a Growing Economy, was held in Topeka today.

The summit was organized at the request of Governor Kathleen Sebelius to discuss how to best prepare Kansas children for school and build a solid foundation for life.

“This summit comes at a crucial time,” said Sebelius. “As a state we need to make informed policy decisions and provide adequate funding to ensure children have access to early childhood services so they enter school ready to learn.”

The summit was funded with a $10,000 grant from the National Governor’s Association and was attended by over 100 stakeholders including early childhood advocates, policy makers, and business leaders.

Summit events included a discussion of the science of early childhood development led by Dr. Jack Shonkoff, a Harvard professor and a nationally respected expert; a panel on the legislative and business perspectives on early learning; a discussion of the business benefits of investing in early childhood education led by JB Pritzker, a venture capitalist and one of Forbes’s 400 Wealthiest Americans; and a panel on the civic responsibility of investing in children.

“I’m committed to expanding early childhood programs and giving every Kansas child a healthy start in life,” said Sebelius.

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