Family Services
Parents As Teachers
Voluntary parenting education and family support program serving families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten. The mission of Parents As Teachers is to provide the information, support, and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of life.
- Provides established and emerging research-based information to parents to promote parent knowledge of early childhood development and best parenting practices
- Provides home visits, developmental screenings, and support that help build the protective factor found in strong families, and increase school readiness and success
- Designed to help all children realize their full potential by supporting and engaging parents and caregivers
- Aligns with the K-12th grade system to create a seamless education continuum
For more information, please contact Parents As Teachers Supervisor Andrea Bailey at abailey@kcpublicschools.org or (816) 418-5245.
Justice in the Schools
Kansas City Public Schools is proud to announce our joint project with Legal Aid of Western Missouri and the Kansas City Health Department – Justice in the Schools (JTS). Through JTS, KCPS families have access to school-based legal clinics staffed by Legal Aid and volunteer attorneys that provide free, high-quality legal services.
We understand that providing a community-wide network of supports for students and their families is essential to student wellbeing and success. By offering free, accessible legal services, JTS is one of the safety nets of support that can help address issues that negatively impact students and their families, like housing instability and mobility, which can affect student performance, attendance and behavior, as well as impede family engagement.
Justice in the Schools offers a variety of legal services, including:
- Family Law/Domestic Violence Protection
- Landlord/Tenant Law (eviction defense)
- Foreclosure Prevention
- Housing Issues
- Healthcare
- Public Benefits
- Federal Benefits
- Consumer Matters
Legal services are available by appointment or by visiting the JTS walk-in legal clinic at Central Academy of Excellence (3221 Indiana Ave.), Monday-Friday, 1:00-4:00 pm.
For more information or to make an appointment, contact Project Director Cori Smith at Csmith@lawmo.org or (816) 418-2061.
District Advisory Committee (DAC)
The District Advisory Committee (DAC) is a group of parents and community members supporting KCPS. Its purpose is to serve in an advisory capacity by providing information and support to parents, parent organizations, school district administration, and the school board.
For the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, District Advisory Committee meetings will be held virtually. Please visit: https://www.kcpublicschools.org/dac for meeting details.
Every school is asked to send a representative, and parents and community members are also welcome to attend. The DAC addresses school issues and concerns and allows parents to network, share ideas and solve problems cooperatively. In addition, the DAC serves in an advisory role to the District’s Board of Education.
Interested in joining DAC or your school’s parent organization? Click here to submit your interest form.
Parent Organizations
School Advisory Committees (SACs) are a great way to get involved in the education of children. Adults who take an active role in education positively impact future generations of leaders, workers and parents. These adults also get a chance to see firsthand what goes on inside schools within Kansas City Public Schools.
A SAC is a school-based volunteer group made up of parents and families of students, community members and school staff. Among the functions of a SAC are:
- Participation in the development of the school budget
- Working with the administration on personnel issues
- Providing input into curriculum selections and development
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)/Parent Teacher Student Associations (PTSA)
The mission of the PTA/PTSA is threefold:
- To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children
- To assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children
- To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of the nation
The objectives of the PTA:
- To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship
- To raise the standards of home life
- To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth
- To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth
- To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education
Plaza Comunitaria
Plaza Comunitaria is a collaboration with The Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City and Kansas City Public Schools. It is a free program that provides adult students who emigrated from Mexico with the opportunity to complete their primary and secondary education through an online learning program. When the requirements are complete the students can obtain a certificate of graduation from the Public Education Secretary of Mexico. This online program is exclusive to Mexican nationals because the certificates of completion come from the Public Education Secretary of Mexico.
Plaza Comunitaria also offers English classes for all Latinos whose children are enrolled in Kansas City Public Schools. These classes provide adult learners an opportunity to learn English at their own pace.
We offer a variety of workshops to empower participants to embrace cultural adaptation, a process that many immigrants may find challenging. These programs are designed to ensure that Kansas City Public Schools provides what is necessary to meet the specific needs of our school community.
These services are free and available to parents and family members of students and employees of Kansas City Public Schools.
Sign up now by contacting Eva Santiago at esantiago@kcpublicschools.org or (816) 418-7700.