09 Apr YMCA of Greater Kansas City Receives $300,111 from United Way of Greater Kansas City

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City recently received a grant for $300,111 from the United Way of Greater Kansas City – Early Learning to support the YMCA Head Start/Early Head Start program. The YMCA Head Start/Early Head Start program provides quality early education, nutrition, and health services for income-eligible children.  The YMCA operates eight Head Start/Early Head Start programs.  These sites offer full-day care (four hours of Head Start programming) and up to seven hours of additional wraparound programming and care for children under the age of five.

The YMCA’s approach to successful youth development is demonstrated through a road map that identifies important cognitive, social-emotional and physical milestones along the birth to career continuum.  Head Start classrooms provide nurturing environments where children feel safe and supported while learning, growing, making friends, and preparing for the world of kindergarten. The four major components to Head Start include Education, Health, Parent Involvement, and Social Services.

YMCA Early Head Start and Head Start programs provide high quality education for youth ages six weeks through five years from income eligible, working families in Jackson County and Clay County Missouri.  Enrollment factors may also include parental status, disability status, illness within the family, history of substance abuse of guardians, referrals from social service agencies, the mental health of the guardian(s), recent immigrant or refugee family, incarcerated parent, or military service of the parent.