On the second Tuesday of every month, the Wyandotte County Health Department hosts an orientation session for people who are interested in opening a childcare center.
The meetings are a legal requirement before applying for a license, but just because it is a mandate doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to make it proactive, said Lori Lanter, a childcare licensing specialist and program manager with the Health Department.
Lanter said it can also be a way to encourage and support prospective providers, while connecting them with local resources.
“Everybody just wants you to succeed if you are a childcare provider, because we know that you're working with the most important thing that we have — and that's our children,” she said.
Childcare options in Wyandotte County meet only about 29% of current demand, according to census data analyzed by Child Care Aware of Kansas. That leaves more than 6,300 kids who don’t have a spot.
The shortage is even more severe for infants and toddlers. Across Wyandotte, Jackson, and Clay counties there are only slots available for 17% of children ages 2 and younger, a number that has dropped slightly in recent years, according to analysis from IFF and local partners.
A 2026 survey of 355 childcare providers across the entire metro done by local nonprofit Futures First showed one of the biggest challenges for childcare providers is financial sustainability. While 15 responding businesses, representing 605 childcare spaces, reported a high risk of closure this year, none of the 15 reported being at high risk in 2025.
“Everybody hears that there's childcare deserts, and so they assume, ‘Well, if I started daycare in my home, I'm going to have all these kids and families that are gonna be coming to me,’” Lanter said. But “it's still a business, and you still have to market yourself as a business.”
Lanter said the intention of the mandatory meetings isn’t to weed people out, but sometimes the orientation functions that way. Only about half of those who sign up actually show up, she said, and, of those who show up, only about half will go through with the licensing application process.
Still they’ve had plenty of success stories, like a longtime provider who retired last year after 20 years in childcare. Lanter said the provider first came to them after being cited for illegal care, but became very committed to the process.
Sometimes, success takes a bit longer to manifest. Lantern recalled one woman who realized through the orientation that she needed her GED to get a license, then went back to get that degree afterwards.
To start the orientation, community partners like Futures First introduce themselves and their resources for new childcare centers. Groups like Daycare Connection also have time to break down things like the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which can help childcare owners to offset rate issues and keep kids fed.
Earlier this year, Futures First received a two-year, $718,600 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to help strengthen childcare access in the region. According to the nonprofit, the grant will help support in-home childcare providers as small business owners, and offer business support to those at risk of closing.
“By supporting both evidence generation and on-the-ground solutions, we are strengthening the conditions that allow individuals, families, and communities to thrive,” Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, president and CEO of the foundation, said at the time.
Although Lanter has a presentation full of all the rules, regulations, and procedures to get through after a quick meet-and-greet, the session is free flowing, with plenty of questions about potential pitfalls.
Subjects range from emergency planning and what to do if you get sick to capacity restrictions and childcare facility layout.
Lanter said she doesn’t want the licensing department to ever feel punitive, even if it is their job to sometimes be the bearer of bad news.
“This is just the minimum expectations that we have for anybody that's providing care for children,” Lanter said. “We want everybody doing what they feel is best for children and families in our community.”
