Kansas City Public Schools revamps approach to early childhood education

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