Kansas
Kansas one of 11 states where child care for 2 is at least double the cost of rent
WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – If you think your rent is high, just look at your childcare bill. Child Care Aware of America’s latest report shows, Kansas is one of 11 states where child care is at least twice the cost of rent.
The newest report says the high daycare costs are attributed to parents with two kids. In Wichita, if you send two kids to daycare, prices could range anywhere from $1600 to $2400 a month.
“The price of childcare has to go up because everything else has gone up also. So in order for us to pay our employees a decent wage, we have to go up on our prices,” said Margo Jones, Owner/CEO OF Kids World Childcare Learning Center.
Jones’ facility is licensed for 59 kids. To give them quality care before they start school, Jones says she has to pay her employees at least $11 an hour. So, she has to charge parents more.
Her prices for infants, $1,200 a month, toddlers and 2-year-olds $1,000 a month, 3-year-olds are $900 a month and for 4 and 5-year-olds $840 a month.
“We have to be able to charge enough to pay overhead. Got expenses, taxes, and all that stuff that takes care, you know, we have to put all that into a business as well as paying our employees,” said Jones.
Child Care Aware of America’s latest annual report, released Wednesday shows if you have two kids and live in one of 11 states, including Kansas, or Washington DC, child care costs at least twice as much as rent.
Government assistance helps Kids World with expenses, but it’s still hard for parents to afford daycare.
“If we were paying the sticker price of childcare, and we weren’t getting some of that help. It would be twice what our rent is, even at a more affordable daycare,” said Rebekah Sturgill, a daycare parent.
Sturgill says it’s a decision between growing her career or staying at home to take care of her son, Cash.
“‘We’re already really plugged in with a lot of our jobs. My husband and I are both teachers. So do we have the extra income and then use it towards childcare? Do we give up some of those really precious things that are helping our community and staying home,” said Sturgill.
Jones adds compared to other places in Kansas, living in Wichita is affordable.
“If you try some other places like Overland Park, Kansas City, their prices are even higher, because their wages are higher,” said Jones.
With daycare employees starting out at $11 an hour they have to have credentials in first aid, CPR, and child development just to qualify.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Residents are without power after a storm swept through the Kansas City metro late Friday night into Saturday morning.
According to Evergy’s power outage map, as of 12:22 a.m., 76 active outages are causing 1,628 customers to be without power.
WEATHER UPDATES: First Warn Weather Day: The final round of storms on the way. Here’s what to expect
This is an active situation. KCTV5 will make updates to this story as they’re made available.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She’s reported on the Chiefs’ decision to move its team facility to Olathe since the team made the announcement in December. That coverage has included amplifying the voices of residents who have different perspectives on the project, which has ranged from excitement to scrutiny. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan said Friday the team is drawing inspiration from recent team headquarters projects with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys as they develop plans for their own new headquarters in Olathe.
In December, the club reached an agreement with Kansas officials to move across the state line. The agreement called for a $3 billion, domed stadium in western Kansas City, Kansas, and a new team headquarters and practice facility near Kansas Highway 10 and Ridgeview Road in Olathe.
Donovan’s remarks on Friday came during the Olathe Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.
Elyse Schoenig/KSHB
The chamber’s theme for 2026, “Olathe Rising,” appears well-timed as the Chiefs work to build out their team headquarters vision.
Donovan said the team and its partners have been busy behind the scenes and hope to have updates on the project in the near future.
He said the club will look to work with the Olathe School District and the Olathe City Council in their plans.
The club is exploring a unique component to the facility by incorporating flag football into the project.
Flag football has been a priority of the club and the National Football League. The sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In April, the Kansas State High School Athletics Association is set to vote on whether to sanction girls’ flag football as a high school varsity sport.
Funding for the club’s Olathe project will come in part from the sale of bonds paid for by certain sales tax revenues.
In February, the Olathe City Council approved participation in a STAR bonds district to build the team’s new headquarters and training facility at College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road.
Elsewhere on Friday, Kansas legislators introduced the Kansas Sports Authority Act. The act would create a nine-member board to oversee all aspects of sports facility construction.
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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged with creating child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors showering during an athletic competition.
According to court documents, 37-year-old Ryan Brungardt of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.
Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School.
Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament was held at Newton High in January 2024.
Brungardt made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson.
A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday
Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.
Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.
Copyright 2026 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com
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