2025 Kansas Cradle to Career Listening Tour

At Aligned, we believe Kansas thrives when education and workforce systems work together. That belief guided us this year as we launched the Kansas Cradle to Career Listening Tour, a chance to step into communities to hear directly from Kansans about what is working, what is not, and where we need to focus our efforts.

Over the course of four months, we traveled more than 1,000 miles and sat down with over 100 parents, teachers, business leaders, and community members. Together, they generated more than 160 ideas to strengthen the pathway from early learning to career success.

These conversations emphasized how interconnected the challenges are facing education. Too often, childcare, K–12, higher education, and workforce are treated as separate conversations. Kansans reminded us that they rise and fall together. When families cannot find affordable childcare, parents cannot stay in the workforce. When schools cannot keep teachers in classrooms, students lose the foundation they need for future success. When higher education is too expensive or disconnected from jobs, young people leave the state in search of opportunities. When employers struggle to find talent, entire communities feel the strain. These are not isolated problems; they are pieces of the same puzzle.

A powerful takeaway from this Listening Tour was the importance of dialogue. The roundtable discussions brought together people with different experiences, ideas, and perspectives. Not everyone agreed on every solution, and that is okay. What matters is that the conversations are happening. Real progress starts with listening to one another, finding common ground, and building solutions that reflect the needs of Kansans across communities.

What’s Next

The Listening Tour is just the beginning. The voices we heard will continue to shape our work, and we will keep creating spaces where Kansans can come together to share ideas and drive solutions.

The insights we gathered will inform Aligned’s 2026 legislative priorities and shape how we partner with schools, employers, and policymakers. More importantly, they have provided us with a roadmap for action that reflects the voices of Kansans themselves.

Our state is competing for talent and opportunity, and the stakes are high. But Kansans are ready to work together. With a forward vision, we can ensure every child, student, and worker has the support they need to succeed.

Thank you to every parent, educator, employer, and community leader who took part in this effort. Your voices are shaping the future of Kansas.