A KC Head Start site stayed open by changing hands
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
A Head Start site in KC's Northland is now run by the local early childhood education nonprofit Mattie Rhodes after the YMCA closed the building that previously housed the program.
Why it matters: Head Start programs are federally funded free services designed to promote school readiness for preschoolers from low-income families.
- When a Head Start site closes, hundreds of families in the area can lose access to free preschool and child care.
Context: Mattie Rhodes reopened the building last week following the YMCA of Greater Kansas City's exit from Head Start last year.
- In spring 2025, the YMCA announced it would end its Head Start programs, closing four centers across the metro because of staffing challenges.
State of play: Bridget Koan, the Mid-America Regional Council's (MARC) public affairs coordinator, tells Axios that the Northland site represents continuity, not expansion.
- Koan says that after the Northland building closed, MARC conducted a community assessment and identified an urgent need to maintain Head Start services in Clay and Platte counties.
Flashback: The transition comes after a turbulent year for Head Start.
- In October, during the federal government shutdown, MARC warned that all 17 Head Start sites it oversees could face closure if funding delays continued.
- "We may be facing the possibility of closing facilities in the very near future," Kasey Lawson, MARC's Head Start director, told Axios at the time.
The latest: That funding risk has eased with MARC announcing it had received a federal Head Start grant, restoring funding through Oct. 31, 2026.
- The site currently serves 68 preschoolers and is expected to serve 166 children once enrollment and staffing are complete, according to MARC.
What's next: Enrollment at the Northland site is open. Families can call 816-841-3382 or visit marcheadstart.org for more information.