Topeka ? Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday announced three meetings next month focused on improving the lives of Kansas children.

“The goal of the town hall meetings is to gather insights and strategies to reduce childhood poverty, increase childhood educational outcomes and decrease child abuse and neglect,” Brownback said.

The meetings will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Jack Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kan.; Nov. 16 at the Drury Hotel in Wichita; and Nov. 17 at the Dennis Perryman Athletic Complex in Garden City.

Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Robert Siedlecki Jr. will oversee the meetings.

“What has been done in the past clearly didn’t work,” Siedlecki said. “We are looking for new ideas, new approaches, and believe Kansans can provide us with ideas that will help us rise to meet this challenge,” he said.

In 2010, 23.7 percent of Kansas children were living in poverty.