Legacy Regional Community Foundation

05/08/2026

🗣Today, we want to pause and recognize the family child care providers, early childhood educators, and caregivers who show up every day for young children and families.

🌞Childcare providers do so much more than “watch kids.” They build safe routines, support big feelings, encourage learning, help children practice social skills, and give families the steady support they need to work, go to school, and care for their households.

🪴Research tells us that children grow best through responsive, caring relationships with trusted adults. That is exactly the kind of daily work childcare providers are doing in homes, centers, and early learning spaces across our communities.

🫶To every provider in our Child Care Zone region and beyond: thank you. Your work matters to children, families, employers, and the future of our communities.

If you know a childcare provider, take a moment tomorrow to thank them, write a note, share a kind word, or remind them that their work is seen and valued. ✨⭐

💛 Happy Child Care Provider Appreciation Day!

05/05/2026

Loneliness is more than a feeling; it is a public health crisis. With 32% of Kansas adults reporting feelings of social isolation—a health risk equivalent to smoking 15 ci******es a day—the Legacy Regional Community Foundation with area partners is taking on social connection.

Through its Cowley ACTS initiative, the Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with The Neighboring Movement to launch the first Community Animator Network (CAN) in Cowley and Sumner Counties this summer.

The CAN program is a 12-week paid opportunity designed for residents (18+) who are passionate about transforming their neighborhoods from the inside out. Participants, known as "Animators," will learn the foundations of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)—a method that focuses on identifying and mobilizing local strengths rather than just focusing on needs.
"Animators become catalysts for sustainable change," stated Legacy CEO Yazmin Wood. "By prioritizing relationships and trust, we can address the dire health impacts of isolation, including its links to dementia and premature death."

The program provides participants with invaluable tools, three in-person workshops, and nine weekly coaching sessions to help them spark authentic local action.

Who: Sumner and Cowley County residents aged 18+
What: A 12-week paid leadership and community-building program.
Timeline: * Applications Open: Now through May 8.
Onboarding: In-person meetings in May.
Program Dates: June through mid-August.

How to Apply: Visit www.neighboringmovement.org/can.

Contact Marisa Meyer for more information regarding The Neighboring Movement and Community Animators Network (CAN) at [email protected].

Learn more by visiting www.legacyregionalfoundation.org, find us on Facebook, or call 620-221-7224.

05/04/2026

🌱 LAST DAY TO APPLY: Endorsed Facilitator Cohort (Closes May 5!)

🗣This is your opportunity to step into a leadership role that will shape the future of childcare in our region.

Through the Child Care Zone, we are selecting five Endorsed Facilitators (one per county: Cowley, Montgomery, Sumner, Elk, and Chautauqua) to build local expertise and strengthen support for children, families, and providers.

This is more than a role.
It is an investment in you and in your community.

✨ What selected applicants receive:
• Paid registration to the Conscious Discipline Institute
• Travel and multi-day training covered (over $11,500 in value)
• Ongoing leadership role within your county’s Early Years Village
• Direct impact supporting child care providers and families

You will help bring proven, relationship-based approaches into everyday practice across our communities.

👉 Apply here before the deadline (May 5):
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSchx5N3.../viewform

🎥 Learn more about the training experience:
https://institutes2026.consciousdiscipline.com/

💬 Already applied?
We see your applications and truly appreciate the time and thought you put into them.
Our team will begin reaching out next week to selected candidates for Zoom interviews. 👀

📣 Help us in this final push
Tag someone who would be a strong fit or share this post.
The right person may just need someone to nudge them.

When we invest in childcare, we strengthen workforce participation, family stability, and long-term community health. That impact starts with people willing to step forward.

05/01/2026

04/30/2026

🌱 Last Call for Family Child Care Providers! 🌱

We’re submitting our application today for the Kansas Department of Agriculture “Our Earliest Eaters: Bringing the Farm to Kansas Licensed Early Child Care” program — and there is still time to be included!

Right now, we already have 5 family childcare homes signed up across our region, and we would love to include a few more before the deadline.

🍎 What this means for you:
• Funding to purchase locally grown food for your program (up to $100 per growing season)
• Hands-on learning experiences for children using fresh Kansas produce
• Simple, ready-to-use educational materials provided

🌾 This effort is part of building a stronger system across our Child Care Zone — supporting providers, connecting to local food, and creating meaningful learning experiences for kids.

⏰ Deadline is TODAY
If you want to be included, send your information as soon as possible so we can add you to the application.

📩 Message us or contact us directly to get included before submission!
[email protected] or contact Legacy at 620-221-7224

04/29/2026

The South Central Child Care Zone is working to strengthen the childcare workforce across our five-county region by increasing access to high-quality training materials and professional resources.

📚 As part of this effort, a curated collection of early childhood “startup books” will be placed in public libraries across Cowley, Sumner, Elk, Chautauqua, and Montgomery counties (currently available at Arkansas City Public Library and Winfield Public Library • Winfield, KS). These books are designed to support both current and future childcare providers with practical guidance, foundational knowledge, and evidence-based strategies.

📖 Featured Titles Include:

🧩Caring for Our Children (American Academy of Pediatrics & APHA)

🧩The Encyclopedia of Infant and Toddler Activities

🧩The Basics of Starting a Child Care Business

🧩Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale (FCCERS-3)

🧩Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline

🌱 Why This Matters
Access to training and resources is a key barrier for many individuals interested in opening or expanding childcare services.
By placing these materials in local libraries, the Child Care Zone is:

📘Reducing barriers to entry for new providers

📗Supporting quality improvement for existing programs

📕Encouraging professional development in early childhood care

🗣This work directly supports the broader goal of increasing the number of childcare slots available across the region. When more childcare is available, more families can participate in the workforce, strengthening local economies and supporting long-term community growth. Read more about it here!
https://www.legacyregionalfoundation.org/home/our-vision/child-care-zone/childcare-resources

04/28/2026

Across our region, child care providers are doing the work every day to support children, families, and our local workforce. 💚

Now, through the Child Care Zone, we are taking the next step.

We are looking for one Endorsed Facilitator in each county to help strengthen connections, support providers, and bring proven tools like Conscious Discipline into our communities.

This is not just a role.
It is a chance to help shape what child care looks like in Cowley, Montgomery, Sumner, Elk, and Chautauqua counties.

When child care systems are strong, families can work, businesses can grow, and communities stay stable. That is why this work matters here.

✨ You will be supported
✨ You will be connected to a regional network
✨ You will help build something that lasts beyond this grant

👉 Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchx5N3_UBdXmhECCn2scGg0XhSE94uxI5SHLT9gjjbVV0Bug/viewform

We need your help:
Do you know someone in your county who would be a good fit?
Tag them below or share this post so we can reach the right people.

04/27/2026

Loneliness is more than a feeling; it is a public health crisis. With 32% of Kansas adults reporting feelings of social isolation—a health risk equivalent to smoking 15 ci******es a day—the Legacy Regional Community Foundation with area partners is taking on social connection.

Through its Cowley ACTS initiative, the Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with The Neighboring Movement to launch the first Community Animator Network (CAN) in Cowley and Sumner Counties this summer.

The CAN program is a 12-week paid opportunity designed for residents (18+) who are passionate about transforming their neighborhoods from the inside out. Participants, known as "Animators," will learn the foundations of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)—a method that focuses on identifying and mobilizing local strengths rather than just focusing on needs.

"Animators become catalysts for sustainable change," stated Legacy CEO Yazmin Wood. "By prioritizing relationships and trust, we can address the dire health impacts of isolation, including its links to dementia and premature death."

The program provides participants with invaluable tools, three in-person workshops, and nine weekly coaching sessions to help them spark authentic local action.

Who: Sumner and Cowley County residents aged 18+
What: A 12-week paid leadership and community-building program.
Timeline: * Applications Open: Now through May 8.
Onboarding: In-person meetings in May.
Program Dates: June through mid-August.
How to Apply: Visit www.neighboringmovement.org/can.

Contact Marisa Meyer for more information regarding The Neighboring Movement and Community Animators Network (CAN) at [email protected].

Learn more by visiting www.legacyregionalfoundation.org, find us on Facebook, or call 620-221-7224.

04/25/2026

Stewardship of resources is essential.

They have filed a legal brief against the project, which will be decided soon. Story link in comments.

04/24/2026

Stewardship of resources extends beyond the dollar. Caring for all forms of capital is important.

Please join us in our effort to oppose Evergy’s proposed 345 kV Buffalo Flats transmission line, a project currently before the Kansas Corporation Commission. Kansans should oppose this line for the following reasons:

• Lack of Competitive Bidding: By bypassing the public bidding process for this $500 million project, Evergy is ignoring a practice that has previously saved Kansans 40% on infrastructure costs, potentially leaving ratepayers responsible for hundreds of millions in unnecessary expenses.
• Threat to the Flint Hills: Evergy has demonstrated a blatant disregard for Kansas most important natural resource by testifying against protected status for the Flint Hills, threatening to irreparably damage the world’s last major vestige of Tallgrass Prairie with 133 miles of steel and concrete.
• Exporting Energy at Kansas' Expense: This "scheme" is designed to export Kansas-generated wind power to Oklahoma and Missouri without delivering any electricity to the local counties it traverses, all while forcing Kansas ratepayers to foot 16.5% of the regional $2.2 billion bill.
• Misuse of Eminent Domain: The project allows corporations to weaponize eminent domain to seize private property for the benefit of out-of-state data centers, sacrificing Kansas land and heritage for external corporate gain.