'What can I do?'; LINC rushes to aid families in devastating apartment fire

The overnight news footage, just days after Christmas, swept like the fire itself through LINC’s communities. A devastating fire had fully engulfed one of the large residences at the Waldo Heights Apartments in south Kansas City. Families needed help and LINC was ready.

Love adds up: Four days, a thousand families, 78,998 pounds of food

At times the wind came whipping cold. Other times a chilling drizzle coated the workers’ parkas and vests. But a partnership between Church of the Resurrection and LINC to deliver meals and other support to Kansas City families carried on regardless of sunshine or winter gloom because the needs of the people lining up in their cars did not change with the weather.

Church of the Resurrection, LINC join in holiday food distributions

Kansas City parent Tiffany Relves was in a state of mind of feeling “like there is no hope” when she got word of one of the Church of the Resurrection’s food drives with LINC. “We have been going through some very hard times this past year. This means everything to my family. This has truly been a blessing to me and my children’s life.”

KCPS to legislature: Pay teachers, help the underserved, be equitable

Kansas City Public Schools is determined to do its part to “re-imagine and rebuild” a district ready to emerge from Covid, its leaders said. But Jefferson City needs to help. “We have political road bumps we are going to have to get over.”

Calling all KC hands to rescue education system 'on verge of collapse'

The “frightening” expanse of unenrolled or disengaged children across the Kansas City area can be rounded into large numbers — or bared one-by-one. An enrollment and drop-out task force is issuing a call to educators, business leaders, policy makers and anyone else who wants to join in the work.

Harmony Project KC director wins Missouri's highest arts award

Laura Shultz, the executive director of Harmony Project KC, was named this week as an honoree in the Missouri Arts Council’s Missouri Arts Awards for 2021, regarded as “the state’s highest honor in the arts,”

LINC expands community efforts to bust pandemic's barriers for children and families

The mother’s needs came tumbling out like the insides of a dumped suitcase. This was going to take some doing — finding temporary storage, relief from utility bill debt in the thousands of dollars, and fulfilling her child’s prayer that her family would get a new home by her birthday.

Shake it up! Lights On Afterschool finds a new groove

No more was the pandemic going to hold back what LINC and its communities yearned to give and share. The fall weather came cool and clear, and LINC’s annual Lights On Afterschool events went outside to find a rush of parents, teachers and children ready to join the fun.

How many $ millions does KCPS lose in tax abatements? District wants you to know

The short answer? $80 million in potential tax revenue to the Kansas City Public Schools and more than 20 public charter schools has been diverted by tax abatement incentives to developers the past three years.

'Hit the Woah!' LINC grooves in Covid's surreal world as more schools open

Finding new ways to enjoy and comfort each other can mean dancing to “Hit the Woah!” instead of hugs as LINC staff and children reunite in-person in re-opening schools.

Last call: Final days for high schools to register 18-year-olds to vote Nov. 3

With so many high school students learning at home online, schools have to get creative in getting newest voters enrolled. Online registration offers opportunities, and now is the time, because Oct. 7 — Wednesday — is the last day to get on the rolls.

All thumbs up! Girls On The Run goes virtual

“We’re getting to know each other,” Coach Shayla said. “We’re empowering each other, encouraging each other. That’s what Girls on the Run is all about — helping you be your better you, the best you can be.”

Neighborhood schooling: LINC carries aid to families during pandemic

The path to this moment — when tears slipped from a grandmother’s eyes — had wound its way door by door through neighborhoods that are hurting. Like many of LINC’s Caring Communities site coordinators, Danisha Clarkson was out in the field helping her partner school reach families of children who were unaccounted for or needed help in the new school year . . .

KCPS Parent University to help ease online learning transitions

The new online school year continues to pose a challenge for families as everyone is trying to master technology and online platforms that are critical to their child’s success in school. The Kansas City Public Schools will be using its Parent University to help families succeed.

Free child care available for KCPS families and staff members

Kansas City Public Schools is partnering with the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City to provide high quality school-age childcare free-of-charge for KCPS families and staff members.

Destination unknown: Schools go boldly (with mixed plans) into new year with Covid

Here’s hoping that every school district will be able to say in the end that they planned right for Covid. Because, with no clear path through the pandemic, schools open the year vulnerable to second-guessing, whether all online or inside buildings with their teachers.

Register now for KCPS' Summerfest; stay tuned for KCPS Homeroom show

KCPS families need to pre-register for the “Drive Thru Edition” of the annual Summerfest. But everyone can look forward to watching education shows on KCPS Homeroom.

Utility shutoffs loom over schools' plans to teach children online at home

As pandemic-cautious schools begin fall classes online, vulnerable families are grasping at the schools’ technology-dependent programming without safety nets that had barred utility shutoffs and landlord evictions.

Covid overwhelming schools' plans for indoor fall openings

Our reckless summer with Covid-19 is proving all the warnings true. And now schools and their essential social infrastructure are toppling again under the weight of hundreds of new coronavirus cases every day just as districts were daring to launch meticulous, precarious reopening plans.

Remembering Tearo 'Missie' Condit: Her Hero Project gave children everlasting voice

Tearo “Missie” Condit’s Hero Project with Bob Walkenhorst was extraordinary in education. “It lifted kids up. Their chests pump up like they met a superhero. It makes them feel like . . . ‘I have a voice. I can do something!’”