September 12, 2023
Sophomore Grace Stanton uses Morse scholarship to help coordinate child care provider conference
The winner of the 2023 Morse Family and Community Public Policy Scholarship from K-State Libraries at Kansas State University has completed her project involving training support for child care providers in northwest Kansas.
Grace Stanton, a sophomore studying political science from Hays, received the $5,000 Morse scholarship, which is awarded annually to support a project or internship that gives a K-State student the experience of working in community, state or federal governments or providing service in the nonprofit sector. The project or internship must encourage the development of public policy that improves the quality of family and community life.
Stanton used the award this summer to intern with the Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center to help coordinate the organization's first child care provider conference. The conference provided free training to attendees and a space to network and connect with each other. Stanton said that her experience gave her a deeper understanding of the challenges that child care providers, especially in rural areas, face.
"I was impressed by the wide variety of skills covered at the conference," Stanton said. "Providers learned about child development and discipline, nutrition, emergency medical care and how to create learning-rich environments through child and adult guided play. I had no idea the depth of knowledge and skills that are required for these essential members of our professional workforce."
Stanton plans to continue her efforts by interning with Kansas House representative Barb Wasinger this upcoming spring. As an intern, Stanton hopes to learn more about how possible public and private partnerships can improve the lives of Kansas families.
"This summer, I saw first-hand how multiple organizations worked together for a common goal — professional development for child care providers," Stanton said. "I am interested to see if such a framework could be utilized at the legislative level to address other important issues facing Kansans."
Learn more about the Morse Family and Community Public Policy Scholarship.
Child care is a key area of the K-State 105 initiative, which is Kansas State University's answer to the call for a comprehensive economic growth and advancement solution for Kansas. The initiative leverages the statewide K-State Research and Extension network to deliver the full breadth of the university's collective knowledge and solution-driven innovation to every Kansan, right where they live and work. Additionally, K-State 105 forges the connections and partnerships that create access to additional expertise within other state institutions and agencies, nonprofits and corporations — all part of an effort to build additional capacities and strengths in each of the 105 counties in the state.