Across the country, city leaders are recognizing the importance of early childhood success as a key strategy to a thriving community. Cities across the country have been working to align early care and education with key city-wide priorities to improve community well-being. NLC reached out to Lawrence, KS Commissioner Amber Sellers to ask about the city’s work and what is on her mind around early childhood success.
NLC: As a leader in municipal government, what is one thing keeping you up at night when you think about the young children, families and early childhood educators in your community?
Commissioner Amber Sellers: As economic pressures rise, many families are finding it increasingly difficult to afford or even locate childcare options that meet their needs. I’m concerned that both families and educators are struggling to access and utilize the resources necessary to thrive, often leading to relocation. I fear this may be the result of bureaucratic inefficiencies or a lack of connection and cultural competency between community services and the people they aim to support. I also worry that children aged 0-5 are not fully engaged in the early care and education services of their choice, that parents (and employers) may be unaware of available tools to make care and education more affordable, and that educators are not being supported with a living wage and resources to prevent burnout—making it difficult to attract and retain future educators in this critical workforce.
Did You Know?
Ten state leagues came together in Lawrence, Kansas to create what is now the National League of Cities back in 1924. Learn more on NLC’s Centennial site.
NLC: How as a municipal leader are you keeping the early childhood community, young children, and their families at the center of local governance?
AS: As a municipal leader, I have focused on prioritizing the social determinants that intersect with our city’s strategic plan outcomes—transportation, housing, economic development, health, and early care and education. Before I joined the city commission, our community health steering committee identified access to early care and education as a key priority within our county health improvement plan. Building on this, we now have a growing early care and education workgroup that has formed partnerships with local organizations dedicated to improving accessibility, affordability and availability. These collaborations help shape policies that promote both quality and accessibility in early childhood services. The insights from these discussions guide my advocacy for the allocation of resources to areas where they can have the greatest impact.
NLC: How has the City of Lawerence connected local efforts to broader state-wide initiatives in support of early childhood services?
AS: In support of our Governor’s commitment to investing in early childhood care and education, we successfully provided tax incentives for a $5 million, 15,000-square-foot commercial facility that will offer 24/7 childcare services. Additionally, we facilitated the construction of a 1,800-square-foot expansion for another facility that will centralize family stabilization programs for children in need of support. Additionally, we are in the final stages of amending our land development code. We recognize this work can profoundly impact both affordable housing and early care and education by controlling how and where childcare services can be developed. By adopting a more flexible and inclusive LDC, the City of Lawrence encourages the creation of more affordable housing and accessible childcare options, leading to more equitable communities that better serve the needs of our educators, families and children.
NLC: What advice would you offer your colleagues in cities across the country as they commit to prioritizing the needs of children, families and providers within local policies?
AS: My advice to fellow municipal leaders is to be intentional about centering early childhood in all aspects of local governance, not just within education or social services. Think broadly and holistically — infrastructure exists to serve the people and branches out. Whether it’s housing, transportation, climate action or economic development, every policy decision can be an opportunity to support educators, children and families. Lastly, I would urge leaders to advocate for sustainable funding streams on the state level to support early childhood initiatives, ensuring that these efforts can withstand economic shifts and political changes. We need to view investments in early childhood as long-term adaptive strategies for community well-being, not short-term technical solutions.
On Your Mind
This blog post is part of the On Your Mind series featuring local leaders and early childhood champions across the country. NLC’s Early Childhood Success team supports members so every city, town and village has healthy babies and happy families, and all children are thriving by 3, ready at 5 and on their way by 8, so that all children thrive. To see more stories like this, subscribe to NLC’s quarterly early childhood success newsletter.
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