KCCTO Release

Kansas Child Care Training Opportunities (KCCTO) is proud to announce the launch of Cape, a career and professional empowerment portal tailored for Kansas’ early childhood workforce.

Cape, available at YourCape.org, provides a hub for early childhood professionals to
access training, manage growth, and track career milestones. By streamlining tools and
aligning resources, Cape empowers individuals to focus more on their vital work with
children and families and less on navigating multiple systems for resources and support.

Cape went live on January 13, 2025, with a soft launch. KCCTO leads the rollout as the first
organization offering professional development opportunities exclusively through Cape.
The soft launch approach allows KCCTO and collaborating partners to ensure staff
readiness and address user concerns ahead of release to the broader workforce.

“It feels surreal that something early childhood leaders have dreamt of for many years has
become a reality. This is an exciting step forward for the State of Kansas and the Early
Childhood Workforce,” said Haley Hynek, Cape Director at KCCTO.

Empowering the Workforce

Cape simplifies access to professional development training and resources, reduces
duplication, and eliminates reliance on paper forms. Users can organize career
information efficiently, while partners gain data insights to improve workforce policies and
investments. The initial release is targeted at childcare professionals working in licensed and
license-exempt programs. Future expansion is expected to include professionals working
in family support, home visiting, and early intervention roles.
Key features include:

• Professional Profiles: Store your information in one place, showcase
  achievements, and track career progress.
• Course Catalog: Access professional development opportunities and filter training
  by competencies, delivery types, and languages.
• Connections: Create affiliations with employers and document experience.

Collaborative Development

The Cape portal is a collaborative effort among KCCTO; Child Care Aware of Kansas; and
early childhood state agencies including the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund,
Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Health and
Environment (KDHE), and Kansas State Department of Education. KDHE is the State Lead.
“Cape represents another step forward in cementing the expertise of our early childhood
workforce in Kansas. Our early childhood care and educators have long deserved a
platform to empower their personal and professional development. We are proud of our
collaboration with our many partners and providers and are especially proud of KCCTO’s
commitment to making this a reality,” said Derik Flerlage, KDHE Bureau of Family Health
Director. Learn more about the collaboration, All In For Kansas Kids, at allinforkansaskids.org.

YourCape.org to explore this resource today!