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Category Archives: Youth
Child Support Services Impacted by Kansas Court’s Network Security Issue
CORRECTED: Child Support Services Impacted by Kansas Court’s Network Security Issue
TOPEKA – Due to the network security issue announced by the Kansas Judicial Branch last week, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is informing Kansans of delays that will occur to those working with the agency’s Child Support Services.
DCF works daily with Kansas courts to process child support court orders and payments on behalf of Kansas families. With the efiling and electronic court records system offline, Kansans should expect delays on returned filings, court hearings and orders being entered. Child support payments that are awaiting court orders or direction from DCF, Court Trustees, and county clerks will be delayed. Any orders filed prior to the week of Oct. 9 should continue to process properly.
DCF and its contracted partners of YoungWilliams and Maximus will continue to provide full-service operations through paper and fax filings. Johnson County is not impacted by this as the county operates on an efiling and case management system used only by the county.
Individuals with cases in process should consult the Child Support Services customer hotline at 1-888-757-2445 with questions or status information. Updates will be provided at the Kansas Payment Center website www.KSPayCenter.com.
Young Entrepreneurs: Luke and Natalie Lehman
This is part of a series featuring young people who have started selling a product or service. If you know of a young business person, send their email or phone number to [email protected]
Luke and Natalie Lehman are twins. Both are young entrepreneurs.
Luke Lehman,15, started a horseshoe-inspired gifts business in August because of the availability of materials.
“I sell small trinkets, made out of horseshoes, such as pumpkins, napkin holders, and Christmas ornaments,” he said. “I chose this to sell because my grandpa had a lot of horseshoes from auctions, and needed something to do with them. My dad had also made a few things out of them before.”
He calls his business Farmhouse Metalworks.
“I attended the Children’s Business Fair classes and learned about things like marketing, pricing, and target customers,” he said.
Natalie Lehman, 15, is an artist by passion.
“I love to paint, watercolor, and use oil pastels,” she said.
The idea of her business started at Christmas last year.
“I got a box of blank cards and envelopes as well as some supplies to decorate them,” she said. “I made a few cards here and there but never thought it would turn into a business.”
Then Natalie and her brother Luke started attending the Children’s Business Fair seminars.
“When we started attending the business seminars, I was trying to think of what I would do for my business,” she said. “That night at dinner, my Grandma made a comment that she was having a hard time trying to find a card to give for the occasion of a baptism and asked if I would be interested in making her a custom card for that. And that’s where I got the idea to make cards for my business.”
The name of her business is Blessings Abundant (Designs of Devotion).
She creates custom cards and keychains.
She said the Children’s Business Fair gave some valuable information.
“It helped me understand more how to manage my money better, and how to get out of it the profit that I needed to pay for all the work and expenses I put into it,” she said.
Luke and Natalie are the children of Jacob and Amanda Lehman, Girard.
The Children’s Business Fair seminars are made available by the Pittsburg State University Small Business Development Center and the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Fort Scott.
Young Entrepreneur: Gunner Keylon
This is part of a series featuring young people who have started selling a product or service. If you know of a young business person, send their email or phone number to [email protected]
Gunner Keylon, 12, owns his own business called The JG Store.
He sells homemade treats: such as rock candy, brownies, rice krispy treats, peanut butter fudge, trail mix, etc.
In addition, he sells his artwork: sketches.
” I like to draw and get requests sometimes, so I thought they might sell well,” he said. “I also thought rock candy sounded fun to make and you can’t buy it just anywhere.”
“I’ve been thinking about starting the business for a long time but I actually put it into action a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
He didn’t attend the Children’s Business Fair classes at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team in Fort Scott but joined the business fair just before it took place at the Fort Scott Farmers Market on Sept. 30.
“At the fair, I learned that owning your own business is hard work but it’s worth it!” he said.
His parents are Jared and Ashley Keylon
Third Street Park Has New Playground Equipment
Third Street Park is ready for the community to enjoy.
New children’s play equipment with mulching and new stairs leading to the ballpark on Third Street was recently completed.
“This is a $92,000 project that was funded by the Patterson Family Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Pathways to a Healthy Kansas, and a contribution from The City of Fort Scott,” Rachel Carpenter, director of the Healthy Bourbon Action Team (HBCAT), who is spearheading the project, said.
“The playground is open to the public!” she said.
The need for Third Street Park’s improvement project was identified by the community through public forums, surveys, and a steering committee, according to Carpenter, in a prior press release.
A Building Up Our Neighborhoods Placemaking project has already repaired the bathrooms and existing structures, including the basketball goal. Last month stairs were made from the upper level of the park to the lower level.
Community members were able to develop priorities that they wanted to see happen at the park, Carpenter said in a prior press release. Those priorities:
- Repairing the bathrooms
- Repairing the existing structures
- Repairing the basketball goal
- Adding additional playground structures
- Adding stairs
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Tyler Sharp, Marbery Construction, Fort Scott, lays straw to prevent erosion following the building of the concrete stairs from the upper-level playground to the lower-level ball field at Third Street Park on Sept. 15.
“Fort Scott Kiwanis provided volunteers to fix the existing structures, the basketball goals, and paint the bathrooms,” she said. “The City of Fort Scott provided an additional $10,000 that will go towards fixing up the bathrooms, fixing the pavilion floor, and surfacing for the existing structures.”
‘We are still collaborating with the City of Fort Scott to update the fixtures of the bathroom and fix the pavilion floor,” Carpenter said.
Last week, Playscapes, Yates Center, installed the new playground structures and put down the rubber mulch surfacing.
The playground structures include a Temple Trolley, a Swizzler, and two bouncers.
FSHS Community Bonfire Oct. 5 at Former Mercy Building
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Young Entrepreneurs: Prizes and Grants
The Fort Scott Farmers Market showcased some young business people on September 30.
“Most of the children that had booths had attended at least one workshop at Healthy Bourbon County Action Team (office) before Saturday’s event,” said Dacia Clark, Pittsburg State University’s Small Business Development Center.
The SBDC partners with HBCAT in Fort Scott.
“We held two different workshops (for the young entrepreneurs) before Saturday,” she said. “One was about business planning and just introducing business terminology to the kids and the other workshop talked about pricing and expenses.”
“We ended up having 20 kids participate on Saturday and gave out $340 in prize money,” she said.
1st Place received $50, 2nd Place received $25 and 3rd Place received $10.
There were four different age groups: 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, and 14-16 year-olds.
5-7 Age Group
1st Place – Adelaide Bowman
2nd Place – Judah Whitson
3rd Place – Ethan Nilges
8-10 Age Group
1st Place – Jonathon Howard
2nd Place – Camren lamb
3rd Place – Asher Whitson
11-13 Age Group
1st Place – Gunner Keylon
2nd Place – Anabelle Nilges
3rd Place – Isabelle Nilges
14-16 Age Group
1st Place – Natalie Lehman
2nd Place – Luke Lehman
3rd Place – Devlin Cole
There is the possibility of another Children’s Business Fair at Fort Scott Farmers Market next spring, she said.
For more information or to become involved with the Children’s Business Fair, please email Rachel Carpenter at [email protected]
FortScott.Biz Grant Recipients Tell of Plans
Several children received $50 grants from a fortscott.biz reader who wished to remain anonymous.
The subscriber who had been reading the Young Entrepreneur Series on fortscott.biz this summer was touched by the efforts of the children and wanted to support each young entrepreneur’s business.
This is what he wrote:
“I always stop at the local kids’ lemonade stands. When I was growing up in Fort Scott, I remember the postman buying a cup of lemonade from me. For some reason that stayed with me.
“Selling Grit Magazine door to door, making birdhouses and selling them door to door, having a Tribune newspaper route back when you paid for your batch of papers up front, delivered them, and then collected monthly. If anyone stiffed you, you were out the dough. All of those things were great life lessons for me growing up in Fort Scott. That’s why I really like your program of highlighting young entrepreneurs”
The Young Entrepreneur Series features youth under 18 years old who have a business in product or services.
To recommend a young entrepreneur in our community, please send contact info, email, or phone number to [email protected]
The following are the recipient’s comments about how the grant was spent:
“I’m purchasing more supplies for my leather crafts, Devlin Cole said. “I’m very appreciative for the money. Thankfully there is someone wanting to do that for kids wanting to make a name for themselves.”
“I bought different things for my jewelry business,” Malachi Whitson, age 10, said. “It was a big boost. I’m so glad he did it, it helped a lot.”
“The funds went directly to Answers in Genesis 2024 Vacation Bible School Program Kit,” Melanie Lamb, Camren’s mom said. “It will be used over and over. Camren’s first priority is to do it at youth homes and places with children in need. But he also plans to collaborate with kids near his age to do the program here in Fort Scott.”
Camren, 10, also purchased four Samaritan’s Purse and Bible Workbook Kits, his mom said.
Asher Whitson, whose business is Art by Asher, spent his grant money “to help a single mom and the rest towards buying new items for his business,” Maria Whitson, his mom said.
“Judah gave a little to help the single mom (his brother Asher also did this) and he saved the rest to buy a cow,” Maria Whitson, his mom said.
Kansas child deaths hit record low in 2021
Kansas child deaths hit record low in 2021, annual report shows
TOPEKA – (Oct. 3, 2023) -– Child deaths hit a record low in 2021, despite an increase in the number of child homicides and fentanyl overdoses, according to a report released today by the State Child Death Review Board of Kansas.
The board’s annual report analyzed the deaths of Kansas children (birth through 17years old) that occurred in calendar year 2021, the most recent year for which data is available.
“Within the three decades that the State Child Death Review Board has been in in existence, more than 12,000 deaths of Kansas children have been examined. The data provided in this report is critical to our understanding of why children are dying,” said Sara Hortenstine, the board’s executive director. “We know that behind each of these statistics are the stories of children who lost their lives too soon, families who are still grieving, and communities that will be impacted forever. We must learn from these difficult circumstances and take action to prevent future deaths of Kansas children.”
Overall, the report showed Kansas had 349 child fatalities in 2021, compared with 365 in 2020. The overall child death rate in 2021 was 49.6 deaths per 100,000 population, both the lowest number and rate of death since the board was created in 1994.
The rate of deaths due to natural causes declined in the last five years, the report revealed. In 2021, 100-plus fewer children died of natural causes compared to 2018. Despite the overall decreasing number of child deaths in Kansas, homicides, weapon-related deaths, and drug-related deaths in children has shown an alarming increase.
Thirty-two children died from homicide in 2021 compared to only 22 child homicides in 2020, a 45% increase. The report also indicates drug-related deaths increased significantly in the past two years. While no children died in 2017, 2018, and 2019 from fentanyl, 20 kids died from fentanyl overdoses in 2020 and 2021.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 500,000 people of all ages died from overdoses involving both illicit and prescribed use of opioids from 1999-2019. In recent years, both nationally and in Kansas, the data has shown an increase in the use of synthetic opioids like fentanyl. While fentanyl is a prescription drug, it is also manufactured illegally. Frequently it is incorporated into illicitly manufactured pressed pills and mixed with other substances without the knowledge of the end user.
“My office is committed to preventing every preventable death of a child. This report shows a dramatic increase in fentanyl deaths in 2020 and 2021 as compared with previous years. We are using every tool at our disposal to deal with this threat,” Kobach said.
In addition to policy recommendations, the report includes prevention points that families can use to decrease the likelihood of a child’s death.
The board is a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency volunteer board organized by law within the attorney general’s office to examine trends and patterns that identify risk factors in the deaths of children, from birth through 17 years of age. The report is available on the attorney general’s website at https://ag.ks.gov/scdrb.
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COVID-19 Supports for Kansas Kids Dropped Poverty and Food Insecurity
Data Shows Pandemic-era Supports Drove Down
Child Poverty, Food Insecurity among Kansas Kids
TOPEKA, KAN.
— Poverty and food insecurity rates among Kansas children dropped significantly in the early years of the pandemic, according to the
2023 Kansas KIDS COUNT® Data Book, which analyzes child outcomes in economic well-being, education, and health indicators. The
Data Book was created by Kansas Action for Children, which collected state and county data from national and state sources.
Kansas children living below the poverty line (or a household income of less than $26,500/year for a family of four) decreased from 101,000 children in 2019 to 92,000 children in 2021. And
kids experiencing food insecurity (or not having enough to eat for every meal) decreased even more significantly from around 120,000 kids in 2019 to about 94,000 in 2021.
These improvements correlate to early pandemic-era supports targeting kids and families, such as increased food assistance benefits, no-cost school meals for all children, the temporarily
expanded federal child tax credit, and other measures that helped relieve financial burdens for families living on low- or middle-incomes.
Additionally, more Kansas kids became enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), reaching a combined peak across the last decade of nearly 300,000 children accessing
some type of coverage through KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program. This number is in stark contrast to a combined total of about 271,000 kids enrolled in 2019.
Due to the public health emergency, KanCare enrollees did not have to submit paperwork with the state to determine continuing eligibility, and enrollees were able to keep their coverage for
prolonged periods. However, with the public health emergency ending in May 2023, those redeterminations are underway, and thousands of kids are losing coverage.
“The data is clear that measures implemented during the early years of the pandemic helped families make ends meet,” said John Wilson, President and CEO of Kansas Action for Children. “But
with those programs having ended, advocates are concerned with the data trends we are likely to see in 2022 and beyond.”
He continued, “We can build on the success of pandemic-era programs by ensuring families can achieve financial security. Expanding Medicaid, implementing a state child tax credit, breaking
down barriers to food assistance, and raising the minimum wage are all solutions to make that a reality.”
Other notable data shifts highlighted in the report include:
·
Income statuses of families in Kansas have been on a constant incline since 2011, but there are still large discrepancies between racial groups. For instance,
Asian American/Pacific Islander households made around $102,100 in 2021, while American Indian/Alaskan Native households were at $32,400.
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Fewer young children were enrolled in early learning programs. From 2019-2021, about 54% of Kansas 3- and 4-year-olds weren’t in nursery school, preschool, or
kindergarten. This is about a 2-point increase from 2017-2019.
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Basic reading and math proficiency continued to trend downward in the last decade, following trends across the country. Reading proficiency has dropped about
10 percentage points since 2015 (80% vs. 70% in 2021). Math proficiency decreased even more significantly, seeing 8th graders drop from 71% in 2019 to 61% in 2022 and 4th graders drop from 79% to 75% across the same period.
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Low birth weights are statistically much higher among Black newborns compared to every other racial/ethnic group. In 2021, around 7% of all Kansas newborns were
born at less than 5.5 pounds, but Black babies were twice the state average at 14%.
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Racial disparities were also present in infant mortality rates. While the overall state rate is 5.9 infant deaths per 1,000, around 16.5 Black infants per 1,000
died in 2021.
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Children without health coverage stayed steady at around 5%. With KanCare redeterminations currently occurring, this number could increase in future years.
FSHS Homecoming Candidates 2023
Ryker Felt and Connor Ball
2nd Row
Carsen Allen, Raveyn Kegler, MaKenzie Robertson, Jersee Wood, Keegan Yarick
Back Row
Jasper Allison, Cal Cosens, Cody Geiger, Casey Gomez, and Jericho Jones. Submitted photo.
Fall Homecoming Candidates at Fort Scott High School is next week
We will be crowning the King and Queen before our Football game with the Chanute Blue Comets and the Fort Scott High School Tigers at 6:30 PM
Shared Services for Child Care Providers Is Launched
Governor Kelly Announces Launch of Shared Services Network for Child Care Providers
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today the launch of a new partnership that will create savings and streamline services for child care providers across Kansas. The Kansas Department for Children and Families, Child Care Aware of Kansas, and five community-based organizations are partnering on the Shared Service Network to streamline administrative costs for providers and free up time for programs to focus on providing high-quality child care.
“For many Kansas kids, quality child care is essential for them to have a solid start to their developmental growth,” said Kansas Governor Laura Kelly. “This network will provide child care professionals the resources they need so they can focus on young Kansans in their care.”
By participating in the Shared Services Network, child care providers benefit from services that cost less and are often more efficient than what the programs could do on their own. A wide range of services are available to reshape child care, including:
- Group purchasing plans;
- Advanced business software to manage enrollment and billing;
- Shared administrative staff;
- Support for hiring staff and finding substitutes; and
- Personalized professional development.
“By working together, child care providers can save money and invest more in key parts of early childhood education, like better pay for their staff, high-quality curriculum, and other supplies needed to operate a child care business,” said Laura Howard, Secretary Kansas Department for Children and Families.
The five community-based organizations that have been selected to implement the Shared Services Network will have the responsibility for delivering services to participating child care programs that result in cost savings.
“Shared Services represent an innovative approach to making the business side of child care work,” said Kelly Davydov, executive director of Child Care Aware of Kansas. “We have a unique opportunity to realize cost savings for participating child care programs so that they can earn more or reinvest in other aspects of their business, like high-quality curriculum for the young children in their care.”
Shared Services Networks will be provided by the following organizations:
- Northwest Kansas Innovation Center: Serving 29 counties in the Northwest and North Central areas of Kansas.
- Child Care Aware of Kansas: Serving 39 counties in the Southwest and South Central areas of Kansas.
- Community Children’s Center: Serving 16 counties in the Northeast area of Kansas.
- Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas: Serving 17 counties in the Southeast area of Kansas.
- The Family Conservancy: Serving five counties in the Kansas City area.
For more information, visit Shared Services Network – Child Care Aware.
To learn more about Child Care Aware of Kansas and how you can join us in ensuring access to high-quality child care for all families, visit us at www.ks.childcareaware.org.
Southwind’s 4-H Crops/Weeds Id Participants Move Up at State Fair
Southwind District 4-H’ers participate in the Kansas State Fair State 4-H Crops/Weeds ID Contest on September 9, 2023, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Three of the four team members moved up from the Intermediate Division to the Senior Division to form a full Senior Team. Results were 3rd Place Team, Carly Kramer 8th Individual, Camryn Wille 15th Individual, Kason Botts 16th Individual, and Henry Kramer 18th Individual.
Pictured are (left to right; front to back): Kason Botts, Henry Kramer, Casey Diver (coach), Carly Kramer, and Camryn Wille.