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Links To Quality

Links to Quality (L2Q)

Striving to ensure all Kansas children have access to high-quality early care and education.

Links to Quality (L2Q) is a child care quality recognition and improvement system (QRIS) created with the support of early childhood organizations and providers across the state and funded by CCDF through a partnership between Kansas Department for Children and Families and Child Care Aware of Kansas. 

As a QRIS, L2Q works to provide a standard of quality and a framework that supports programs and providers in meeting that standard.

Our Mission

  • Increase quality care in Kansas early care and education programs by helping providers build upon their strengths, skills, resources, and connections
  • Empower families in choosing the early care and education program that best suits their needs
  • Strengthen communities through increased access to quality early care and education and enhanced public-private partnerships

We want early care and education providers to feel like our staff is their partner — not their judge. L2Q understands that all programs have unique strengths and start at different points along the path toward continuous quality improvement. Our goal is to help them along the way.

Our Goals

For Providers

L2Q helps providers demonstrate their commitment to the quality and improvement of their program through:

  • Individualized pathways to improve quality
  • Grants, awards and other financial supports
  • Resources, tools and supports to provide higher quality early care and education
  • Improving early care and education programs outcomes (e.g., revenue, staff retention)
For Families

Families should make early care and education decision that meet their family’s needs and choices. Links to Quality helps child care programs increase their quality to make more quality options available to families with:

  • Supportive and developmentally appropriate environments for children that support their overall growth and development
  • Sustainable quality early care and education that allows parents to work without concern for their early care and education needs
  • Resources, tools and supports families need to choose high-quality early care and education
  • Improved quality early care and education 
For Communities

Links to Quality strives to strengthen communities by increasing access to quality early care and education. In our communities, we:

  • Demonstrate to community stakeholders on what quality care is and why it is essential
  • Value and prioritize early childhood care and education across Kansas
  • Strengthen relationships between partners, programs, and communities

L2Q Standards of Quality

Links to Quality works with programs to build upon their strengths by “linking” the L2Q Standard of Quality competencies — helping establish a higher quality standard for Kansas child care. 

Together, these Links provide the foundational step up from licensing standards to give members a path toward quality improvement outside of standard licensing. 

Program Administration

Family Partnerships

Health & Safety

Learning & Development

These Links are grounded in developmentally appropriate standards from Head Start, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Family Child Care Association, Caring for Our Children, and others. As a result, each Link contains quality indicators specific to the designated content area and best practices for child care programs.

L2Q Consultants

Each member is assigned a designated L2Q Consultant to help support their quality journey. This individual coaches and connects each program with resources and peer-to-peer support to encourage continuous quality improvement and growth. 

Your L2Q Consultant is available to support you through the Link process in ways that best fit your needs, strengths, and unique child care environment.

Additional Provider Support Services

L2Q Learning Communities

Learning Communities are peer-led and available to support the growth, leadership, collaboration, and confidence of Kansas child care providers as they learn, change, grow, and become champions for quality early childhood education. 

These communities are open to all child care providers and cover a wide range of topics, depending on the current needs of those attending.

Program Administration Support: Free One-On-One Support for Providers

Program Administration Support is a free service available to all licensed Kansas providers, brought to you by Links to Quality and funded by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. It is designed to introduce the L2Q system and help providers jumpstart their work on their first Link (Program Administration). 

Focused on promoting solid business practices in child care environments, this program offers one-on-one coaching and planning sessions that are provider and program driven. Providers work directly with experienced and knowledgeable Child Care Aware L2Q Consultants to analyze and improve their business in many ways, including: 

  • Accessing community resources
  • Budgeting, contracts, marketing, and other business practices
  • Strengthening policies and procedures so that your business thrives

Your L2Q Consultant will help you advance your practices in ways that best fit your individual needs, strengths and unique child care environment. 

This program is only available for a limited time. Sign up now to take advantage of it today and take your business to the next level.

Sign Up Now launch
QRIS Toolbox: Resources For Providers

Exclusive to providers who participate in the Links to Quality program, a special QRIS toolbox is available on ECE Resources Kansas

In addition to the many useful resources available throughout the website, Links to Quality offers this dedicated toolbox of resources designed to match the indicators contained within the specific links and provide an extra level of support for providers as they work through the quality improvement process. 

To gain access, you must first register with ECE Resources Kansas (registration is free). 

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While encouraged, the use of the toolbox is not required for L2Q participants.

Contact Us

Have questions about the program or need to get in touch with a representative? Send an email to the Links to Quality team at Child Care Aware of Kansas. 

We are currently working to connect providers to Links to Quality in the upcoming workforce registry. Stay tuned for more information.

Founders’ Link

The following programs successfully participated in the Two-Year Links to Quality Pilot, earning recognition as Founders of Links to Quality. The Founders’ Link represents both their accomplishments as well as their contributions to Links to Quality.

The Tree House of Early Learning

Independence | Montgomery County

Kiddie Garden Day Care

West Mineral | Cherokee County

Butterfly Funhouse Childcare

Mound Valley | Labette County

Country Kids Daycare Home

Girard | Crawford County

Toddler Time Daycare

Frontenac | Crawford County

Pittsburg Community Child Care Learning Center

Pittsburg | Crawford County

Kidzville Daycare

Chanute | Neosho County

Good Shepherd Child Care Center

Columbus | Cherokee County

Little Tots Montessori

Kansas City | Wyandotte County

Good Beginnings Day Care Home

Bonner Springs | Wyandotte, Leavenworth, and Johnson Counties

Good Beginnings Family Child Care Home

Topeka | Shawnee County

ABC’s and 123’s at Pammy’s Playschool

Auburn | Shawnee County

Patterson Family Child Care

Topeka | Shawnee County

Lakeside Daycare

Topeka | Shawnee County

Little Angels Day Care Center

Kansas City | Wyandotte County

Loving Arms Daycare Centers

Junction City | Geary County

Kid Central Daycare

Emporia | Lyon County

Thill Express Child Day Care Home

Lyndon | Osage County

Emporia Child Care Center I

Emporia | Lyon County

Tiny Toes Child Care

Salina | Saline County

Eagle Wings Child Care

Salina | Saline County

Judy Ann Lawson Daycare

Salina | Saline County

Happy Day Academy

Maize | Sedgwick County

Scribbles and Giggles

Derby | Sedgwick County

Little Adventurers Daycare Home

Wichita | Sedgwick County

Wichita State University Child Development Center

Wichita | Sedgwick County

Tammy’s Little Angels Childcare

Wichita | Sedgwick County

Adventure Planet

Wichita | Sedgwick County

Small Wonders Early Learning Center

Wichita | Sedgwick County

Keya’s Kare

Wichita | Sedgwick County

Bella’s Playhouse Day Care Home

Ulysses | Grant County

Tami’s Daycare

Holcomb | Finney County

Little Sunshine

Ulysses | Grant County

Little Learner’s Preschool

Dodge City | Ford County

Adams Family Daycare

Garden City | Finney County

Community Daycare Center #1

Garden City | Finney County