Kansas ChildFirst, Inc.

05/09/2026

Mental Health Matters! Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center

Stop by during the Lady Buffs Soccer game in Garden City & visit with WKCAC staff! Learn helpful tips and resources for Mental Health Awareness Month!!

05/09/2026

04/10/2026

✨ We’re Hiring! ✨

The Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County is excited to announce a new opportunity to join our team!

We are currently seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Grant & Administrative Coordinator to help support our mission and the important work we do for children and families in our community.

This role is responsible for managing the full grant lifecycle, including researching funding opportunities, drafting and submitting grant proposals, tracking reporting deadlines, and maintaining accurate records. In addition, this position provides essential administrative support to help ensure the smooth day-to-day operations of our organization.

The ideal candidate is proactive, organized, a strong communicator, and passionate about making a meaningful impact in the community.

If you are interested in joining our team, please send your resume, cover letter, and three references to our Director of Business Operations, Annie, at [email protected]

04/07/2026

Lawrence Folks! Plan to stop by Tuesday at 11am to plant a pinwheel for with Children's Advocacy Center of Douglas County- KS!

Join us at 11am Tuesday for Pinwheel Planting at the Lawrence Police Dept!
All attendees are invited to plant pinwheels which will serve as a reminder to our neighbors to make the safety and well-being children and families a priority. The pinwheel is the national symbol of child abuse prevention and represents the bright futures every child deserves.
Lawrence Kansas Police Department Headquarters
5100 Overland Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049

04/07/2026

Congratulations Emma and Natasha on completing an intense week of training and mock interviews!

03/10/2026

✨ Free for One Week Only ✨

From March 10–17, get FREE access to our Advanced TF‑CBT: Vicarious Trauma on-demand training on MHub, and earn 1 NASW CE!

This advanced training helps participants understand the difference between vicarious trauma and burnout and offers skills and practices that will help reduce empathy fatigue in their work.

👉 Learn more, and use the discount code: LearnMHub26 to enroll for FREE:
https://nca.inreachce.com/Details/Information/ff6695ca-95c4-4f29-a3fc-0a8081ae8783

Please share this with your network now so more therapists have an opportunity to participate!

02/23/2026

This is a huge moment for LifeHouse Child Advocacy Center after over two decades of blood, sweat and tears...and absolutely incredible staff, volunteers and Board members! Congratulations! 🎉❤️🎉

What started in a small office is growing as Lifehouse Child Advocacy Center moves into a bigger location tailored to better support children as they navigate life’s biggest challenges.

https://www.wibw.com/2026/02/12/lifehouse-child-advocacy-expands-meet-growing-community-needs/

02/23/2026

Kasey Dalke from Children's Advocacy Centers of Kansas doing what she does best! 🥰🎉 Thank you for your tireless advocacy!!

*xualAbusePrevention

“I didn’t know it was wrong.”

“I thought this happened to everybody.”

These are statements I heard firsthand as a forensic interviewer—and I still hear echoes of them today through Children's Advocacy Centers of Kansas across our state.

We spend so much time teaching children how to call 911. We practice fire drills. We run tornado drills. Kids learn to stop, drop, and roll.

But one of the most pervasive dangers children face—child s*xual abuse and exploitation—is rarely addressed with the same urgency or consistency.

Prevention education is not about fear. It’s about empowerment. It’s about teaching children that their bodies belong to them, that boundaries matter, and that it is always okay to ask for help.

When children don’t have language for what’s happening to them, they assume it’s normal. When we give them knowledge and safe adults to turn to, we change that.

Protecting children doesn’t start after disclosure. It starts with awareness, conversation, and adults willing to face hard truths.

01/30/2026

An opportunity to have your voice heard!

📣 Big news for Erin’s Law ( HB 2576)! 📣

Erin’s Law has officially been scheduled for a hearing in the House Education Committee on February 9th at 1:30 PM.

This law would require students K-12 receive body safety education one day each year, which has been proven in 38 states to make kids recognize and feel safe enough to report child s*xual use and stop it.

This is an important step forward, and it happened because of you—the advocates, survivors, families, and supporters who continue to raise their voices and push for change. We are so grateful for every person who helped make this possible. 💙💚

But we’re not done yet—we still need your help.

You can support the passage of Erin’s Law by submitting testimony in favor of the bill and by continuing to reach out to your state legislators to ask for their support.

🗣️ Testimony options:
• In person
• Virtually
• Written

⏰ Important deadline: All testimony must be received by Friday, February 6th. See comments for Conferee Rules for testimony.

If you’re interested in learning more about Erin's Lawmit testimony or how else you can help, please contact us. Every voice matters, and together we can make a difference. 💙💚

Erin's Law

12/31/2025

Great job by everyone involved to bring this man to justice.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]

Lawrence Kansas Police Department Announces Arrest in Juvenile S*x Crimes Dating Back a Quarter of a Century

Lawrence, KS – The Lawrence Kansas Police Department in collaboration with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office announce the arrest of an alleged child s*x offender whose crimes date back to 2000-2003. The identification and ultimate arrest are the result of meticulous investigative work and the same science that brought in California’s “Golden State Killer” in 2018.

Monday, December 29, 2025, at the request of the Lawrence Kansas Police Department, U.S. Marshals arrested 58-year-old David James Zimbrick of Raytown, MO. Zimbrick is being held in Jackson County Missouri as he awaits extradition to Douglas County.

Between 2000 and 2003, a series of s*x crimes occurred in the Naismith Valley Park area, 1400 W. 27th Street. Reports indicate the suspect would lure children into the bushes to perform s*xual assaults. The children involved were between 7 and 10 years old.

Despite unknown future technology, detectives thoroughly inspected the scene collecting any potential clues. While a distinct DNA profile was recovered, it yielded no match in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the national database of known offenders. With no further leads, the case eventually sat dormant.

In 2018, when California’s “Golden State Killer” was arrested, Detective Amy Price, who was involved in the original investigations, took note of their use of genetic genealogy. Detective Price submitted a request for funding and ultimately sent the evidence to Parbon Nanolabs. Parabon specializes in forensic genetic genealogy to solve cases where there is DNA evidence, but the offender’s identity remains unknown.

In March of 2020, Parabon notified Price that they had successfully genotyped the newly submitted DNA from one of the cases. The lengthy investigation that followed led to clues throughout the United States until the suspect was ultimately identified then located in Raytown, MO.

U.S. Marshals made the arrest without incident. David James Zimbrick is charged with one count of R**e in one case and one count of Aggravated Criminal So**my and and one count of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child in a second case. He’s being held in Jackson County Missouri Correctional Facility awaiting extradition back to Douglas County, Kansas.

“This arrest is a testament to the fact that time does not diminish our commitment to victims and their families,” says Chief Rich Lockhart. “I am continually impressed with the dedicated professionals who work in this department and am specifically proud of Detective Amy Price, who was assigned to this case and never let time nor dead ends deter her from continuing the search. Crimes against children last a lifetime. It is my hope that this arrest provides some comfort.”
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*Jackson County booking photo