Center for Public Partnerships & Research

In the public imagination, children enter foster care primarily because of abuse. In reality, most are removed for neglect — a category that often reflects families lacking the resources to meet basic needs, including child care, health care, food and safe housing. In many cases, children are separated from their families not because of intentional harm but because of poverty.

A growing body of research shows these separations are preventable.

🔵 cppr.ku.edu/news/article/how-strengthening-family-well-being-prevents-need-for-foster-care-ARTICLE-MFJK7K-ARTICLE-MFJK7K-ARTICLE-MFJK7K

A million moments of gratitude. 🧡

Thank you to the presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and attendees who joined us last week for A Million Moments for Maternal Mortality Prevention 2026.

Your dedication, shared experiences, and expertise are a reminder that change is possible.

Every connection represents another ripple toward healthier pregnancies, stronger families, and safer communities.

University of Kansas Medical Center
Rooks County Health Center
Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Are you registered yet? 🤔

CPPR's Loretta Severin and Randi Harms are sharing their community resource connection expertise as part of the Champ Software Expert Webinar Series on August 13.

They'll explore how communities can create a more connected and responsive safety net by improving how providers identify, connect to, and follow through on supports for the families they serve.

Building a Community Safety Net: Connecting People, Processes, and Tools to Coordinate Resources That Matter - Champ Software Communities are rich with resources—but too often, those resources are hard to navigate, disconnected from one another, or not reached by the people who need them most.

When communities help shape evaluation, programs become more responsive, relevant, and effective.

CPPR joins practitioners and partners from across the country in a video series exploring participatory, community-engaged evaluation, an approach that prioritizes collaboration with community members, program participants, and service providers.

Elevating Community Voice in Child Welfare Produced by James Bell Associates on behalf of the Children's Bureau, the series showcases innovative approaches used by federally funded projects to strengthen families and communities.

What is our data telling us about early childhood in Kansas? 🤔

Our partners can help answer that question! 💫

A recent Distinct Count Dashboard data update tells us that 107,031 Kansas kids, birth through age 5, benefit from early childhood programs and services like licensed child care, prekindergarten, home visiting, and Part C.

Dig deeper into the who, what, where, when, how, and why ⤵️

⭐ Article: https://bit.ly/4p0WDcg

⭐ Strategic Plan Progress Dashboard: https://bit.ly/4xY7JTp

"The state of Kansas, as well as the Wichita area, has a substantial gap in substance use disorder treatment capacity, according to a recent assessment for the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board that was conducted by the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships & Research."

New 80-bed recovery center opening up in east Wichita suburb next month The facility will accept new patients beginning June 8.

The summer edition of our IRIS newsletter arrives in inboxes next week, celebrating the people and partnerships making a difference across the country.

✈️ IRIS on the Move – Catch highlights from upcoming conferences, partner presentations, and a recap of Julie Herzog and Kankakee County IRIS Network leader Kailee Zito’s presentation at the Illinois Action for Children Partner Plan Act Conference.

Community Launches – Join us in celebrating the launch of two new IRIS Networks:
🌱 Illinois Collaboration & Action IRIS Network serving Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Morgan, and Scott counties, IL.
🌱 OAC Intake and Response Center IRIS Network serving Gloucester, Ipswich, and Rockport, MA.

🏡 IRIS in Action – Explore key takeaways from our June session, Building Connections to Home Visiting, and preview the September session, Public Health as a Trusted Connector for Families.

📧 Subscribe today: bit.ly/4jOS4z3
📲 All things IRIS: iris.ku.edu

In the public imagination, children enter foster care primarily because of abuse. In reality, most are removed for neglect—a category that often reflects families lacking the resources to meet basic needs, including child care, health care, food and safe housing. In many cases, children are separated from their families not because of intentional harm but because of poverty.

A growing body of research shows these separations are preventable.

🔵 https://bit.ly/45eEVJ5

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to our A Million Moments for Maternal Mortality Prevention Keynote Speaker, Dr. Lisa Hollier!

Lisa Hollier, MD, MPD, FACOG, is Senior Medical Advisor on the Maternal Mortality Prevention Team within the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Throughout her career, Dr. Hollier has been dedicated to reducing health inequities and improving women’s health by advancing women’s health policy. We're honored to have her join us!

📍 Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City
📆 July 29-30, 2026
💲 FREE
✏️ Continuing Education Credit Available
💻 Event site: https://adobe.ly/3Tri7mJ (Registration is full)

Brought to you by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and partners.

IRIS is powered by its people. 💙

This week, CPPR's Julie Herzog had the pleasure of attending the retirement celebration for Maureen Sollars, who dedicated 26 years to her local community, serving as the McLean County (IL) All Our Kids (AOK) Coordinator. For the last six of those years, McLean County has also been an IRIS community, allowing Maureen to have an even greater impact on both her local community and Illinois' early childhood system.

Congratulations, Maureen, on an extraordinary career! Thank you for your years of partnership and unwavering commitment to Illinois' children and families. Wishing you all the best in your well-earned retirement! 💜

Pictured below, left to right, are Ana Maria Accove, Illinois' All Our Kids (AOK) Early Childhood State Administrator, Maureen Sollars, and Julie Herzog.