In March of 2020 our society was rocked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools across the country closed with little time to prepare, and Kansas City’s most vulnerable students were moved into a virtual environment without the tools they needed to be successful at home.
SchoolSmartKC moved quickly to release over $1.5 million dollars to 37 organizations and schools to directly fund critical needs being faced by students, including funding over 3,500 devices and hotspots to enable students to access online learning and support systems they needed.
Awards focused on addressing key educational priorities, including support for vulnerable families and the need to address technology disparities for students. A full list of organizations that received funding so far, the amount they received, and an overview of their project is below:
Teachers and Instruction
Virtual Learning and Support
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Green Works | $17,600 | Funding will cover the costs of transitioning the existing Excelerate summer internship program to a virtual program, providing online learning, career transition support and resume building to help students as they seek job experiences and opportunities. |
| Harmony Project KC | $4,000 | Funding will support the transition of Harmony Project music education to a virtual learning environment. This program supports 250 students from schools within the boundaries of the KCPS district. |
| Junior Achievement KC | $34,681 | JAKC will provide online curriculum for remote learning on financial education and career preparation, which is relevant for students and families in the current economy, and which can be quickly and easily deployed to approximately 5,000 students. This grant supports students that may face less opportunity for post-secondary and career preparation. |
| Mind Drive | $5,000 | Funding will support the development of a STEM project-based, experiential learning program to underserved, at-risk, culturally diverse urban teens (14-18 years old) in Kansas City’s urban core. The purpose of the program is to provide technical and vocational skills, teamwork, critical thinking, structure, planning, process, success/failure, accomplishment and leadership opportunities in an environment supported by adult volunteer mentors and facilitators. |
| Prep-KC | $27,474 | Funding will allow up to 17,000 students and 1,300 teachers in KCPS district and four charter schools to access an expansion of Prep-KC’s Connector platform which facilitates online learning, learning support, and summer school programming. |
| KCPT | $20,000 | Funding will support the facilitation of an educational initiative assisting students, educators, parents and caregivers while schools are shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis. This free initiative will be provided by Kansas City PBS, and will make available televised and on-line learning resources as well as program support to all students and families forced to abide by “Stay at Home’ mandates in KC. |
| UICS/St. Mark’s | $25,200 | Funding will provide iPads and broadband packages to each of the 99 pre-K student families that will rise to kindergarten from UICS-Metro and UICS-St. Mark, along with support for food and emergency assistance. |
Vulnerable Students and Families
Device and Connectivity Inequity
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Academie Lafayette | $30,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 250 devices for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Academy for Integrated Arts | $3,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 25 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Brookside Charter School | $48,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 200 devices and 200 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Citizens of the World – KC | $16,200 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 100 devices and 35 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Crossroads Charter Schools | $36,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 205 devices and 95 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| DeLaSalle Education Center | $9,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 25 devices and 50 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Frontier Charter Schools | $74,400 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 570 devices and 50 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Genesis | $1,200 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 10 devices for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Gordon Parks | $11,760 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 60 devices and 38 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Guadalupe Education Services | $57,960 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 192 devices and 291 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Hogan Preparatory Academy | $78,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 500 devices and 150 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Hope Leadership | $26,640 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 111 devices and 111 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Kansas City Public Schools | $611,000 | Funding will provide support to cover purchase costs related to devices and connectivity for 3,000 KCPS students as well as supporting vulnerable families and students including homeless students needing prepaid telephones and families needing interpretive services and sanitization and hygiene kits. |
| Ewing Marion Kauffman School | $9,600 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 80 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| KC Girls Prep Academy | $2,400 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 20 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| KC International Academy | $4,200 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 35 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| KIPP KC | $6,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 50 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Lee A. Tolbert | $15,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 30 devices and 95 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| Scuola Vita Nuova | $18,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 100 devices and 50 hotspots for students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
| University Academy | $20,000 | Funding will support students by supplementing the purchase of 200 tablets for Pk-2 students that are facing device and connectivity inequity at home. |
Early Childhood Support
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Emmanuel Early Childhood (EFCDC) | $10,000 | Funding will provide Zoom-based virtual training to 232 children, along with tele-therapy for 140 families. This program supports at risk families, of whom 98% are estimated to be facing indefinite unemployment as a result of COVID-19. |
| Start at Zero | $25,000 | Funding will enable Start at Zero to complete 25 or more virtual visits and 50 check-ins per week to early childhood students in vulnerable families. SAZ anticipates reaching more than 280 families and 400 children this fiscal year with the support of this funding. |
| Turn the Page | $50,250 | Funding will assist with increasing the number of age appropriate books in the home for 5,000 children by providing Scholastic Grab and Go Book Packs and activity sheets to support students and their families as they learn at home. By providing access to books and learning packs, Turn the Page will mitigate the detrimental learning impact of the Coronavirus on low-income children, particularly those living in homes without Internet access. |
Specialized Student Support
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Boys Hope Girls Hope KC | $10,000 | Funding will provide support to at-risk youth within the Boys Hope Girls Hope KC program. This support will include sanitation, food, educational support, student safety and wellness to keep students healthy and on track with academic progress and goals. |
| Global FC | $35,000 | Funding will provide support for an online community dedicated to equipping English Language Learners (ELL) and First Generation Immigrant and Refugee Youth (FGIRY) students to excel within the uncertainties of the COVID-19 crisis. Global FC will provide virtual learning, emotional support, and tutor support to help these vulnerable students maintain academic performance and improve English proficiency. |
| Sherwood Autism Center | $20,575 | Funding will help facilitate virtual/distance learning for special education students and support for teachers and therapists who will provide both education and essential speech and occupational therapies. This request includes hardware for students and teachers as well as other supplies to support distance and virtual learning. |
| The Transition Academy | $40,000 | Funding will support the expansion of The Transition Academy program to support special education students and their families in receiving essential supports during the COVID-19 crisis through family engagement and educational initiatives and the development of technology infrastructure. |
Support to Vulnerable Families
| Organization Name | Amount Awarded | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s Mercy | $6,487 | Funding will improve nutrition and access to healthy foods by supporting Children’s Mercy staff who administer free, fresh sack lunch distribution to children every weekday (two meals per child), plus supporting the cost to offer free, fresh fruits and vegetables given to families on “Fresh Fridays” to last through the weekend. This program supports food security for 625 families with students attending schools in the KCPS boundaries. |
| Mattie Rhodes | $64,350 | Funding will aid in the support of 100 immigrant students and their families in the Indian Mound neighborhood of Kansas City – 37% of which live in poverty. Support will include food, utility, and family support services through tele-health therapy. |
| St. James United Methodist Church | $72,500 | Funding will support vulnerable families with a range of resources, including food, health education, clothing and support. A key initiative of this program is to reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus through community education and providing hard to find safety necessities including hand sanitizer, gloves and masks to vulnerable families. |
Related Content
Profile in Leadership: Rhonda Erpelding, Harvesters
Communities in Schools
