Links to Quality is Kansas's quality recognition and improvement system (QRIS) for child care. Instead of numbered stars, it recognizes programs as they earn a series of quality links — starting with Program Administration — each one signaling more verified quality above the state licensing minimum.
If you are comparing daycares in Kansas and keep seeing Links to Quality recognition, this guide explains what the system actually measures, who runs it, how to look a program up, and how participation connects to subsidy — so you can use it as one input, not the whole decision. The framework comes from the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Child Care Aware of Kansas, with the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Care setting the broader QRIS structure states follow.
Links to Quality (L2Q) is Kansas's voluntary quality recognition and improvement system, known as a QRIS. It is funded through the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and run as a partnership between the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Child Care Aware of Kansas. Rather than assigning numbered stars or levels, it recognizes programs as they complete a series of quality links, and it is now available to all licensed child care providers in Kansas.
A QRIS does two jobs at once. It recognizes programs so families can compare them, and it improves programs by pairing each link with coaching, training, and resources. Kansas adopted this model, like most states, with support from the CCDF administered by the ACF Office of Child Care.
Links to Quality is a building-block system rather than a star scale. Every participant starts with the Program Administration link; once it is awarded, the provider can pursue additional links, and families can see which links a program has earned. The table below shows the foundational links, drawn from the Child Care Aware of Kansas standards.
| Quality link | What it recognizes |
|---|---|
| Program Administration | The starting link every participant earns first, covering sound program operations and administrative practices. |
| Family Partnerships | Engaging families and supporting children's learning at home and in the program. |
| Learning and Development | Curriculum, teaching practices, and developmentally appropriate learning environments. |
| Health and Safety | Practices that protect children's health, safety, and wellness above the licensing floor. |
Additional links are added over time as the system grows. Exact benchmarks are set by Child Care Aware of Kansas; confirm the current Links to Quality standards on its site, because states revise QRIS rubrics periodically.
Use the Child Care Aware of Kansas provider search to see which quality links a program has earned, then cross-check its license status with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Treat the recognition as one verified data point alongside your own tour, because it can lag a program's real, day-to-day conditions by a year or more.
Honest tradeoff. Links to Quality recognition is genuinely useful, but it is voluntary and still expanding statewide. Some strong Kansas programs have not enrolled yet, and recognition can lag reality. Use it to narrow your list, never to replace a visit.
Earning links does not set tuition, which each program decides on its own. But in Kansas, participating, higher-quality providers can qualify for added support and, where offered, enhanced reimbursement through the Kansas Child Care Subsidy program, a structure the ACF Office of Child Care encourages under the federal Child Care and Development Fund. For national context, ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report put center-based care at roughly $8,000 to $24,000 per year depending on age and state.
For Kansas-specific figures, see our daycare cost guide and estimate your own with the cost calculator. If you may qualify for help paying, the Kansas Child Care Subsidy through the Department for Children and Families (DCF) is the place to start.
Links to Quality (L2Q) is Kansas's voluntary quality recognition and improvement system (QRIS) for child care, funded through a partnership between the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Child Care Aware of Kansas. Rather than numbered stars, it recognizes programs as they earn a series of quality links, starting with the Program Administration link, per Child Care Aware of Kansas and the federal ACF Office of Child Care.
No. Links to Quality participation is voluntary, so a provider that has not earned links is not automatically low quality — it may simply have chosen not to enroll. A license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is the mandatory baseline; the Links to Quality recognition sits on top of it.
Use the Child Care Aware of Kansas provider search to see which quality links a program has earned, then confirm its license status with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Recognition can lag a program's real conditions, so pair it with your own tour.
Not directly through tuition, which each program sets. But participating, higher-quality providers can qualify for added support and, where offered, enhanced reimbursement through the Kansas Child Care Subsidy program, per the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the ACF Office of Child Care. Center care nationally runs roughly $8,000–$24,000 per year, per ChildCare Aware of America's 2024 Price of Child Care report.
For the full picture in your state, see the Kansas daycare guide, which covers licensing, subsidy, and pre-K. Our daycare quality and safety pillar explains accreditation, ratios, and what to look for on a tour.
Comparing how other states rate quality? Read our explainers on Iowa's IQ4K, Indiana's Paths to QUALITY, and ExceleRate Illinois.
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