Picture of children sitting on the floor listening to teacher read book.

Kansas City Public Schools revamps approach to early childhood education

August 29, 2014  |    |  1 min read

The Kansas City Public Schools Head Start classes for three and four year olds begin next week, and while the first day of pre-K is a momental occasion for students and families, it’s also an important day for the district.

Just two years ago, the district was on the verge of losing its federal Head Start grant due to compliance and performance issues. Many of the problems were due to the fact that in the mid-2000s Head Start classrooms were scattered across 16 different elementary schools.

Since then, the district has worked to reinvent its approach to early childhood education, and for the first time in over two decades, the district’s roughly 700 Head Start students will attend one of two early learning community schools, with embedded social services and community supports.

Major Funding for Education coverage on KCPT provided by Jo Anna Dale and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Reading these stories is free, but telling them is not. Start your monthly gift now to support Flatland’s community-focused reporting.

The Declaration at 250: How Expansionism Helped Fuel A Revolution

June 16, 2026

Animus toward British restrictions on moving westward was one reason Americans sought their independence, though bedrock principles like freedom of speech remain relevant today.

Related Stories

Nick’s Picks | Messi, Jail, Buses, and More …

World Cup Team(s) Arrive It’s starting to feel real. The first World Cup team has landed in Kansas City. Defending champions Argentina touched down at KCI airport on Sunday and will begin practicing today at Sporting KC’s training facility in Wyandotte County. Much of the attention, of course, is focused on Lionel Messi. The soccer…

Read More >
The Heart of the Nation exhibit in the IKEA store in Merriam, Kansas, "celebrates the extraordinary work of artists, art educators and cultural leaders ... that define Kansas City's evolving artistic landscape." Jeremy Bell's work is part of the exhibit.(Mike Sherry | Flatland)

World Cup ‘Statement Piece’ Evokes Best Version of Kansas City

Before I moved to Kansas City almost 56 years ago, I had been here only once — for a brief visit to the Kansas City Press Club when I was attending the University of Missouri School of Journalism. But because of that visit and the fact that I grew up in the Midwest (Woodstock, Illinois,…

Read More >
The Center for Digital Inclusion's Technology Education Program helped Jodi Whitt break a cycle of incarceration. (Taylor Doyle | Flatland)

KU Center Helps Women Gain Foothold After Incarceration

A flier from her probation officer was the turning point for Jodi Whitt, who had spent more than two decades in and out of the criminal justice system. The piece of paper introduced Whitt to the Technology Education Program offered by the University of Kansas’ Center for Digital Inclusion. Since 2019, Whitt has risen through…

Read More >