Author: Leah Braet

Cape Launches in Kansas

Posted on by Leah Braet

Manhattan, Kan. – January 28, 2025 – Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities (KCCTO) is proud to announce the launch of Cape, a career and professional empowerment portal tailored for Kansas’ early childhood workforce.  

Cape, available at YourCape.org, provides a hub for early childhood professionals to access training, manage growth, and track career milestones. By streamlining tools and aligning resources, Cape empowers individuals to focus more on their vital work with children and families and less on navigating multiple systems for resources and support. 

Cape went live on January 13, 2025, with a soft launch. KCCTO leads the rollout as the first organization offering professional development opportunities exclusively through Cape. The soft launch approach allows KCCTO and collaborating partners to ensure staff readiness and address user concerns ahead of release to the broader workforce.   

“It feels surreal that something early childhood leaders have dreamt of for many years has become a reality. This is an exciting step forward for the State of Kansas and the Early Childhood Workforce,” said Haley Hynek, Cape Director at KCCTO.  

Empowering the Workforce 

Cape simplifies access to professional development training and resources, reduces duplication, and eliminates reliance on paper forms. Users can organize career information efficiently, while partners gain data insights to improve workforce policies and investments. Initial release is targeted to child care professionals working in licensed and license-exempt programs. Future expansion is expected to include professionals working in family support, home visiting, and early intervention roles. 

Key features include: 

  • Professional Profiles: Store your information in one place, showcase achievements, and track career progress.  
  • Course Catalog: Access professional development opportunities and filter training by competencies, delivery types, and languages. 
  • Connections: Create affiliations with employers and document experience. 

Collaborative Development 

The Cape portal is a collaborative effort among KCCTO; Child Care Aware of Kansas; and early childhood state agencies including the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), and Kansas State Department of Education. KDHE is the State Lead. “Cape represents another step forward in cementing the expertise of our early childhood workforce in Kansas. Our early childhood care and educators have long deserved a platform to empower their personal and professional development. We are proud of our collaboration with our many partners and providers and are especially proud of KCCTO’s commitment to making this a reality,” said Derik Flerlage, KDHE Bureau of Family Health Director. Learn more about the collaboration, All In For Kansas Kids, at allinforkansaskids.org. 

Visit YourCape.org to explore this resource today! 

Cape is Underway!

Posted on by Leah Braet

Cape, your career and professional empowerment tool, is underway. We are finally in a position to be able to share some an outline of the build after completing almost all of Phase 1!

Cape Build Estimated Timeline:

Phase 1: Foundational Setup
Estimated Timeline: January 2024 – October 2024
Our initial phase focuses on building essential features of the portal with ready-to-use solutions tailored to meet the needs of external statewide users and internal portal staff. Some of the features that are a part of this phase include:

  • Storefront setup
  • Course management
  • Event management
  • Checkout / Ecommerce
  • Invoicing
  • Customer support tools
  • Financial supports
  • Account creation and profile management
  • Portal experience
  • Access and security

Phase 2: Expanding Core Features
Estimated Timeline: November 2024 – April 2025
In Phase 2, additional builds will deliver crucial elements that were outside the scope of Phase 1. This short build will add key features like approvals, user credentials, and training and education resources.

Phase 3: Enhanced Functionality
Estimated Timeline: July 2025 – June 2026
This longer development phase will further strengthen foundational elements while introducing new tools, such as peer-to-peer interactions, career development support, enhanced marketing capabilities, and data integration through APIs.

Phase 4: Future Enhancements
Estimated Timeline: July 2026 – June 2027
The specific scope of this phase will be defined in June 2025, with a focus on continuing to build and adapt to meet evolving needs.

Stay tuned as we continue to enhance our services to support early childhood professionals across the state!

Episode 7: Self-Care, Part 2

Posted on by Leah Braet

Welcome to part two of our self-care series! In this episode, we move into the ‘how’ of self-care. Grab your checklist from the previous episode to work through your own self-care plan as you listen. We share a few of our own self-care wins and challenges as we remember the importance of taking care of ourselves in order to best care for others. 

To download the accompanying infographic and deep dive resource for this episode, please click below. The documents are sized A4 for easy printing!

Self-Care 2 PDFDownload
Self-Care Resource List PDFDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below:

THE KCCTO-KITS INFANT-TODDLER SPECIALIST NETWORK IS A PROGRAM OF THE KANSAS CHILD CARE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, INC. (KCCTO) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LIFE SPAN INSTITUTE AT PARSONS. THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS A PROGRAM OF KCCTO. EACH PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES’ CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION SERVICES. HOWEVER, INFORMATION OR OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE POSITION OR POLICY OF THE AGENCY AND NO OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE INFERRED. 

Episode 6: Self-Care, Part 1

Posted on by Leah Braet

In this first part of a two-part series, we will talk about the what and why behind self-care! Do you recognize when your cup is too full you start feeling overwhelmed? Have you ever felt burnt out in your work? Why do we need to take care of ourselves? The gentle takeaway from this episode is that self-care is not selfish – taking care of yourself is vital to be the best you can be in all capacities.

To download the accompanying infographic and accompanying checklist for this episode, please click below. The documents are sized A4 for easy printing! 

Self-Care 1 PDFDownload
Self-Care Checklist PDFDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below:

THE KCCTO-KITS INFANT-TODDLER SPECIALIST NETWORK IS A PROGRAM OF THE KANSAS CHILD CARE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, INC. (KCCTO) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LIFE SPAN INSTITUTE AT PARSONS. THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS A PROGRAM OF KCCTO. EACH PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES’ CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION SERVICES. HOWEVER, INFORMATION OR OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE POSITION OR POLICY OF THE AGENCY AND NO OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE INFERRED. 

Episode 5: ATC and Thinking Traps

Posted on by Leah Braet

In this episode, we are taking a deep dive into our thoughts! We’ll talk about specific situations surrounding children’s behaviors and how to walk through our immediate reactions in order to help them deal with their own actions and emotions. We’ll guide you through these thinking traps we all face and the best ways to get out of them! For all visual learners out there – please go ahead and download the infographics below to follow along while you listen! 

To download the accompanying infographic and deep dive resource for this episode, please click below. The documents are sized A4 for easy printing! 

ATC PDFDownload
Thinking Traps PDFDownload
ATC & TT Deep Dive ResourceDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below!

THE KCCTO-KITS INFANT-TODDLER SPECIALIST NETWORK IS A PROGRAM OF THE KANSAS CHILD CARE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, INC. (KCCTO) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LIFE SPAN INSTITUTE AT PARSONS. THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS A PROGRAM OF KCCTO. EACH PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES’ CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION SERVICES. HOWEVER, INFORMATION OR OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE POSITION OR POLICY OF THE AGENCY AND NO OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE INFERRED. 

Episode 4: TEAM – Teach, Embrace, Acknowledge, Model

Posted on by Leah Braet

In this episode, we are going to introduce you to the concept of TEAM. We’ll discuss the importance of repetition and consistency when we teach children new things as well as how to answer children’s questions honestly and positively. Get ready to dive into what TEAM means – what it looks like – and how to start applying it!

To download the accompanying infographic and for this episode, please click below. The documents are sized A4 for easy printing! 

TEAM PDFDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below! 

THE KCCTO-KITS INFANT-TODDLER SPECIALIST NETWORK IS A PROGRAM OF THE KANSAS CHILD CARE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, INC. (KCCTO) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LIFE SPAN INSTITUTE AT PARSONS. THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS A PROGRAM OF KCCTO. EACH PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES’ CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION SERVICES. HOWEVER, INFORMATION OR OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE POSITION OR POLICY OF THE AGENCY AND NO OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE INFERRED. 

Episode 3: All Feelings are for Feeling

Posted on by Leah Braet

What do you do with the mad you feel? How do you experience joy? When you are feeling sad, how do you handle it? How can you help children process through their emotions in a safe and healthy way? In this episode, we will discuss touchy-feely, ooeey-gooey feelings! As you listen, think through some of these questions and make sure you take care of you while we unpack deep information on emotional development.

To download the accompanying infographic and deep dive resource for this episode, please click below. The documents are sized A4 for easy printing! 

All Feelings are for Feeling PDFDownload
Feelings Deep Dive PDFDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below! 

THE KCCTO-KITS INFANT-TODDLER SPECIALIST NETWORK IS A PROGRAM OF THE KANSAS CHILD CARE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, INC. (KCCTO) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LIFE SPAN INSTITUTE AT PARSONS. THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS A PROGRAM OF KCCTO. EACH PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES’ CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION SERVICES. HOWEVER, INFORMATION OR OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE POSITION OR POLICY OF THE AGENCY AND NO OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT SHOULD BE INFERRED. 

Episode 1: Say You’re Sorry – And Mean It!

Posted on by Leah Braet

In our very first episode, we cover empathy, brain development, why forced apologies don’t work, and what to do instead. We also discuss the physiology of our brain when we feel. You will learn to reflect not only on saying sorry, but also acknowledging and accepting apologies, and how to teach children to do the same!

To download the accompanying infographic for this episode, please click below:

Saying Sorry PDFDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below!

Kids These Days is a co-production of the KCCTO-KITS Infant Toddler Specialist Network (ITSN) and KCCTO Workforce Development (WFD) programs. ITSN and WFD are grant programs, funded by Kansas Department for Children and Families, that provide training and technical assistance to infant and toddler providers across the state of Kansas.

Episode 2: Every Behavior is a Request for Something

Posted on by Leah Braet

In this episode we will learn to change the way we view children’s behaviors. Join us as we discuss tips and tools on observing objective behaviors and be self-aware of our own biases. You will learn how to engage in critical reflection to find meaning in children’s behaviors!

To download the accompanying infographic for this episode, please click below:

Every Behavior PDFDownload

You can listen to this episode using the player below!

Kids These Days is a co-production of the KCCTO-KITS Infant Toddler Specialist Network (ITSN) and KCCTO Workforce Development (WFD) programs. ITSN and WFD are grant programs, funded by Kansas Department for Children and Families, that provide training and technical assistance to infant and toddler providers across the state of Kansas.