North Kansas City School District #74

The North Kansas City School District #74 is a premier provider of quality education. The district encompasses 82 square miles located north of the Missouri River, 45,000 households and is the area’s second largest employer. With 30 educational sites, the district serves 17,000 students from kindergarten to 12th grade, in addition to nearly 20,000 other learners - from preschool to senior citizens - through the Community Education Services Department.

Community Education in the North Kansas City School District began in the 1960’s with a few adult education classes located in one of the high school annex buildings. During the past forty years, the program has expanded into five major areas: Adult Education, non-credit Continuing Education, School Age Child Care, Youth Friends and UAW-Ford Skills Enhancement. The North Kansas City School District has been named as one of 70 national models for Community Education by the National Center for Community Education.

Community Education is part of the Educational Services Department that encompasses Early Childhood Education, K - 12 education and Community Education. The mission of the school district is to establish successful learning experiences for all, and create responsible citizens capable of lifelong accomplishments in environments of change. Through the effort of the Educational Services Department a continuum of learning experiences are available to members of the community of all ages.

The Community Education Services program is self-supporting, with the exception of two full-time staff. The combined programs have an annual operating budget of over $3 million per year. Revenues come from participation fees, state funding, contracts and grants. The total program has 30 full-time staff and several hundred part-time staff. The combined programs serve over 20,000 participants per year.

The Adult Education program offers adult literacy, English As A Second Language, Basic Skills training and GED preparation. Computer assisted instruction is available. Trained volunteer tutors from the community work one-on-one with adults reading below the 5th grade level. These programs are also made available in four other neighboring school districts, the area Job Corp Center, the Clay County Detention Center, and in several work sites throughout the community. The Adult Education program, in a partnership with KCPT public television, is piloting a GED On-Line program for the state of Missouri this year. This is the first GED distance learning opportunity available in the state. The district is also one of six district’s in the state to offer an adult high school diploma program. Staff is provided professional development and training through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The Continuing Education program offers several hundred non-credit classes each year in district school buildings. Classes for preschoolers through senior adults are offered in art, computers, crafts, dance and music and theater, recreation, physical fitness and wellness, personal development and financial strategies. More than 1000 children participate in developmental youth sports programs in a partnership with the City of Gladstone’s Recreation Department. Community choir, band and theater is available through the many offerings. Programs are also designed specifically for senior adults and include travel tours and free bi-weekly seminars. Staff is provided professional development and training through the school district.

School Age Child Care offers before and after school care for more than 1200 K - 5th grade children each day at each of our twenty elementary schools. Trained staff provide enrichment activities, time for homework and recreation from as early as 6:45 a.m. until school begins and from the time school is dismissed until 6 p.m.½ day care is available for kindergarten students and Summer Adventure offers all day care for K - 8th graders during the months of June, July and August. Staff is provided on-going training and professional development through the School Age Child Care Department and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

YouthFriends connects positive adult role models who volunteer one hour a week with a child, ages 5 through 18 and reaches nearly 10,000 students in the district annually. The program offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for adults. These range from tutoring, reading and athletics to sharing a career or hobby. Youth Friends is a collaborative effort of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and 15 participating metropolitan area school districts. All volunteers are screened and trained.

The UAW-Ford Skills Enhancement program, operated through a contract between the North Kansas City School District and the UAW-Ford National Programs Center, provides on-site academic support services to UAW-Ford employees and their spouses. Services include basic skills, GED preparation, English As A Second Language, High School Diploma completion, Educational Enrichment activities such as computer usage and one-on-one tutoring for employees enrolled in technical or college programs. The program is operation 57 hours per week in the Main Plant, the Education Building, the Commercial Body Plant and Commercial Paint Plant. Staff is trained by the school district and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The Community Education Services program is governed by the North Kansas City School District and Board of Education policies. A Community Education Advisory Board, made up of community representatives, provides guidance and publicity to the various programs. Advisory Board annual activities include a Parents University and a GED Graduation ceremony with caps and gowns for GED recipients.