Celebrating 30 Years of Healthy Families Kansas™

Hello Friends,

This year, we celebrate a meaningful milestone at Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL): 30 years of Healthy Families Kansas™. For three decades, this program has supported parents, strengthened families and helped protect Kansas children during the most critical years of life.

Healthy Families America® (HFA) launched in 1992 with a vision to make evidence-based home visiting accessible to every community. KCSL brought Healthy Families to Kansas in 1996, starting in Hutchinson. Today, KCSL is an accredited multi-site system through HFA and serves families in 44 counties across the state.

Through free, voluntary and intensive home-based services, we focus on building stronger families from the very start. KCSL’s Healthy Families Kansas™ supports pregnant mothers and families with children ages 0 to 3 who face challenges such as unemployment, illness, housing instability or a personal history of trauma. Parenting during these early years can feel especially overwhelming without support.

Healthy Families Kansas™ is a proven child abuse prevention strategy. Research shows that early, consistent support for families reduces risk factors associated with abuse and neglect. By addressing stress, isolation and unmet needs before they escalate, home visitation helps prevent crises rather than responding after harm occurs. Our early childhood home visitation program also promotes Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) by strengthening the relationships and environments that help children feel safe, supported and valued. By supporting parents early, we help create conditions for healthy emotional development and lifelong well-being.

These early supports lead to real results. According to HFA, children who participate in Healthy Families have better birth outcomes, receive more well-child visits and show stronger cognitive development. Additionally, parents experience lower stress and are more likely to use healthy parenting practices.

Our home visitation specialists partner with parents to create service plans that cater to each family’s specific needs, focusing on strengthening parenting skills, promoting positive parent-child relationships and supporting early childhood development. These early connections are foundational for lifelong health, learning and resilience.

In addition to providing educational and developmental support to parents, our home visitors are there to listen, encourage and celebrate milestones alongside families. This relational, strengths-based approach helps parents gain confidence and feel supported rather than judged.

Over time, families build the skills and resilience needed to navigate stress, connect to community resources and create stable, nurturing homes. The result is stronger families and healthier outcomes for Kansas children.

Although the evidence is clear, the impact of KCSL’s Healthy Families Kansas™ is best reflected in the families we serve.

In April, KCSL presented Sheldon and Kassandra Allen with the 2026 Parent Achievement Award, which recognizes a parent who has demonstrated leadership and become an exemplary role model to help other families thrive. With support from KCSL, Sheldon and Kassandra completed treatment together, built a safe, stable home for their daughter and now serve as parent leaders, supporting other families in their community.

In the fall of 2024, Sara Delgadillo was named HFA Parent Graduate of the Year. A single mother of four, Sara turned adversity into opportunity. With guidance from KCSL, she achieved sobriety, stable housing and a stronger future for herself and her daughters.

Another inspiring example is Emily and Johnny who joined our program while pregnant with their first child. As young, first-time parents, they leaned on their home visitor for education, encouragement and confidence. Over four years, they completed more than 70 home visits, became parent leaders and graduated from KCSL’s Healthy Families Kansas™ ready to thrive.

And parents like Ann, who simply says, “KCSL changed my life,” remind us why this work matters. With the right support at the right time, parents can overcome challenges and become the caregivers they want to be.

As we celebrate 30 years of Healthy Families Kansas™, we honor the families who trusted us, the staff who showed up week after week and the partners who invested in prevention. These investments strengthen families, protect Kansas children and save public resources by preventing crises before they occur. As we look to the future, our commitment remains steadfast. The next generation of Kansas children deserves the same focus on prevention, connection and support. Together, we will continue walking alongside families to build trust, celebrate milestones and strengthen communities one home visit at a time.

Sincerely,

Gail Cozadd
KCSL CEO