Childcare is getting stronger in Saline County.
The Early Childcare Initiative exists because childcare here hasn’t always been easy—providers have been stretched thin, staffing has been hard, and families have struggled to find care. Over the last two years, our community has come together to change that.
Together with donors and partners, we’ve invested more than $900,000 directly into local childcare programs. That support has helped increase wages by over $2 an hour, retain staff, and keep childcare centers open at a time when many were at risk of closing.
The result is more stability for providers, more reliable care for families, and stronger starts for children across Saline County. This progress matters—and it’s only possible because our community believes in childcare.
Click HERE to support the Early Childcare Initiative Fund.
Thank you to Our Diamond Donor
.png)
What Is the Early Childcare Initiative?
The Early Childcare Initiative is a community effort to strengthen childcare in Saline County. It exists to support local childcare providers, improve pay and staffing, and make sure families can find and afford reliable care.
Through funding, partnerships, and shared solutions, the initiative helps childcare centers stay open, retain staff, and continue serving families. It’s about investing in the people who care for our kids and building a childcare system that works better for everyone.
Why Childcare Matters:
Childcare matters because it makes everything else possible. Families depend on it so they can work. Employers depend on it to keep their workforce. And children depend on it for safe, consistent care during their earliest years.
Many childcare providers face staffing shortages, often because wages haven’t kept up. That can lead to closed classrooms, fewer available spots, and families struggling to find care. When we support childcare workers and providers, care becomes more stable—and the whole community benefits.
Where We Started:
Historically, Childcare in Kansas was supported by tobacco settlement dollars. When those funds were eliminated in 2012, communities like Salina were left to address growing gaps in childcare. In response, Salina convened a local childcare coalition to identify ways to strengthen and sustain the childcare industry.
In 2022, Salina Area United Way was designated as the lead organization for this effort. Together with community partners, we launched the Early Childcare Initiative Fund (ECIF) in 2023, implementing the program in phases to ensure thoughtful and sustainable growth.
Phase 1:
Workforce Stabilization
Phase 1 included two full grant cycles focused on workforce stabilization through wage supplement grants for nonprofit childcare centers in Saline County. Through this initiative, 7 nonprofit childcare centers received grant funding to support wage increases to $18/hour for Lead Teachers and $15/hour for Teacher Assistants, helping providers recruit and retain qualified staff.
During this phase, approximately $550,000 was granted, increasing childcare worker wages by an average of $2/hour and reducing staff openings from 30 at the start of 2023 to just 3. In addition, the ECIF Endowment grew to more than $1 million, helping ensure long-term support for childcare workforce initiatives in the community.
Phase 2:
Expanding Access, Strengthening Providers & Building Workforce Infrastructure
Beginning in 2026, ECIF expanded its impact to support the broader early childhood ecosystem — both geographically and systemically. Phase 2 brought support to Ellsworth County and expanded eligibility to include in-home childcare providers, recognizing their critical role in meeting community needs.
Through three total grant cycles, ECIF has now granted nearly $900,000, including $350,000 awarded during the current cycle. Phase 2 funding supports 5 nonprofit childcare centers, 18 in-home providers, and has helped 9 providers expand operating hours to better serve working families.
ECIF’s 2026 Growth Strategy represents a strategic shift from access-only solutions toward workforce stability, provider sustainability, and system efficiency — positioning early childcare workers as essential workforce infrastructure that supports the regional economy and employer stability.
Learn about the Early Childcare Initiative’s development, progress, and highlights across each phase HERE
Moving Forward:
You can help grow the Early Childcare Endowment and create lasting change for children, families, and educators in our community. Contributions of any size — including planned gifts and legacy giving — move us closer to a sustainable future for early childcare in Salina.
Our goal is to build the Early Childcare Endowment to $10 million. This will sustain the Early Childcare Initiative long-term.
To learn more about contributing to the Early Childcare Endowment click HERE or contact Salina Area United Way.
Childcare is getting stronger in Saline County.
The Early Childcare Initiative was created in response to a challenge our community could no longer ignore. For years, childcare providers have worked tirelessly while facing staffing shortages, financial strain, and growing demand from families struggling to find reliable care. Childcare is essential infrastructure for working families and local employers alike — and our community recognized the urgent need to invest in it.
Over the last two years, that investment has turned into meaningful action.
Together with generous donors, community partners, employers, and providers, ECIF has invested more than $900,000 directly into local childcare programs and workforce supports across Saline County and beyond. These investments have helped increase childcare wages by more than $2 per hour, stabilize nonprofit childcare centers, recruit and retain qualified staff, expand provider capacity, and support both center-based and in-home childcare programs.
What once felt like a growing crisis is now becoming a story of collaboration, resilience, and progress. Staff vacancies that once threatened the stability of local centers have dramatically declined. Providers are receiving the support they need to continue serving families. Working parents have greater access to reliable care. And children across our region are benefiting from stronger, more stable early learning environments.
But perhaps most importantly, this work has demonstrated what is possible when a community comes together around a shared belief: that childcare matters.
Today, ECIF is building toward an even stronger future — expanding services, strengthening workforce infrastructure, supporting provider wellness, and developing innovative solutions that respond to the changing needs of families and communities throughout Saline and Ellsworth Counties.
This momentum belongs to all of us, and the work is far from over. As ECIF continues to grow, we invite community members, businesses, advocates, and partners to stay involved, support local providers, and help shape the future of early childcare in our region. Together, we are building a stronger foundation for children, families, employers, and the entire community.
Support the Early Childcare Initiative
Our Lead Teachers and Teachers' Assistants need your help. On average, our Lead Teachers currently earn about $6,000/year below living wages; our Teachers' Assistants earn about $4,000/year below living wages. We have a large number of Lead Teachers and Teachers' Assistants that need our help.
Now is the time to Unite for our Children and "Sponsor A Teacher". Your sponsorship will help ensure that all of our childcare Lead Teachers and Teachers' Assistants earn a living wage. This will help get our centers fully staffed with quality teachers, resulting in opening more childcare slots.
.png)
The Salina Area United Way has established Early Childcare Endowment funds through Greater Salina Community Foundation and Thrivent Charitable, totaling approximately $1.2 million in long-term investments dedicated to strengthening early childcare in our community.
These endowments are designed to create a lasting, sustainable impact by supporting childcare centers and educators for generations to come. By building permanent resources, Salina Area United Way is ensuring that quality early childcare remains accessible and that educators are supported well into the future.
Currently, it takes approximately $580,000 per year to help address the wage gap for early childcare teachers in our community. To sustainably support this need long term, the Early Childcare Endowment goal is $10 million, which would allow approximately $500,000 annually to be distributed in perpetuity to support the Early Childcare Initiative.
Through this endowment, Salina Area United Way is investing in the future of our children, our workforce, and the overall vitality of our community.
“Through the Early Childcare Initiative, we are excited about the partnerships, connections, and community support coming together to strengthen early childcare in Salina. We truly are stronger when we are United.”
— Christina Small, Executive Director, Salina Area United Way
Join us in creating forever impact.
You can help grow the Early Childcare Endowment and create lasting change for children, families, and educators in our community. Contributions of any size — including planned gifts and legacy giving — move us closer to a sustainable future for early childcare in Salina.
To learn more about contributing to the Early Childcare Endowment, click here. Thank you for your continued support.
.png)
.png)
.png)
