Summer break is a chance for students across the area to hit the pool, catch up on sleep or go on vacation. But for families in need, it can mean less access to food, mental health services and other resources that children regularly receive at school.
That’s why Kansas City area school districts are partnering with local community organizations to ensure students are taken care of until they return to the classroom in August.
Heather Schoonover, Olathe Public Schools’ director of community development, said students don’t just belong to their district.
“They are the children and students of a community,” Schoonover said. “They are our future so it really needs, actually, an entire community to look at children.”
Here’s a look at the meals, financial aid and resources available over the summer break.
Olathe Public Schools
Schoonover also coordinates services for students in Olathe who are in foster care or are experiencing homelessness. Her team starts reaching out to families facing housing, economic and food insecurity in May about what resources are available over the summer.
Their office is open year-round, so the team checks in weekly with families in the district’s residential transition program to connect them with social service agencies or shelters, if needed.
Schoonover’s community development team is available at their office or at events held to support families — including the district’s free summer lunch program and “The Spot,” an after-school program for middle and high schoolers.
“We're giving them all the food opportunity locations, but we are also there if they need laundry assistance or toiletry kits,” Schoonover said. “It's just a wraparound community effort that we're looking at.”
Families can find meals for breakfast, dinner and the weekend at nearby food pantries and community dinners at Center of Grace, where free meals are served restaurant-style at a community center that also includes a clothing closet.
Schoonover said summer programs are also available through community partners like the Boys and Girls Club, the Salvation Army and Johnson County Parks and Recreation.
Ahead of the fall’s first classes, the district also holds a back-to-school event so students can start the year with everything they need. Community partners donate items including backpacks, school supplies and gift cards for students to shop for new clothing and shoes.
The event also connects families with utility assistance and affordable housing options, which Schoonover said is a huge need for families.
“We're dealing with thousands of kids because groceries and housing expenses are high,” Schoonover said. “If they don't have a backpack and school supplies or toiletry kit, Olathe is guaranteeing that only because the community donates to that.”
The Impact Olathe program also connects families with social service agencies in one place and at one time. Schoonover said that includes youth summer camps and academic enrichment opportunities so parents can still work.
The district’s HELP clinic also offers mental health services for students and staff at no cost, but spots are limited.
Shawnee Mission School District
The Shawnee Mission School District holds a “Summer Lunch Bunch Program” at which children aged 1-18 can receive free lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at certain locations.
Children need to eat their meal onsite because of U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations. Adults may also buy lunch for $5 cash.
A district spokesperson said there are also resources available in the community for families through Johnson County Mental Health.
Park Hill School District
Social workers in the Park Hill School District stay in contact with families throughout the year, including during the summer break.
District social worker Stephanie Richison said her team sends newsletters to families ahead of school’s end to let them know what resources are available and that their offices are still open.
“We're still really heavily equipped with people that can provide support, answer questions, connect family with resources and things like that,” Richison said.
She said any resource that’s available during the school year is also available to families over the summer — including free meals through the Harvesters BackSnack program and Feed Northland Kids.
If families need clothing, they can go to the school district’s year-round clothing center or the Northland Clothing Center. The Platte County Health Department also provides families with immunization clinics or sports physicals.
Richison said if kids' basic needs aren't being met, then it's going to be hard for them academically.
“If they're worried about food, if they're hungry, if they don't have a place to sleep, if their clothes aren't clean, if they don't have the supplies that they need — they are not going to be successful,” Richison said.
District social workers also use CarePortal, a platform where schools and organizations can connect with churches for items or financial assistance. That includes help with utilities or rent, which Richison said becomes a bigger need over the summer.
With school out, Richison said more families who are unhoused or doubled up find it easier to secure permanent housing. But they will also need money for a deposit or first month’s rent.
Richison said families can access emergency financial assistance through the district’s Education Foundation fund, the CarePortal or other local agencies that provide financial assistance. She said many families have to call the first of the month to ensure agencies aren’t out of funding.
Ahead of class starting, families can get free school supplies and more at the Platte County Back-to-School Fair.
Kansas City Public Schools
During June, the district’s Summer Academy provides free transportation, before- and after-school care, and breakfast and lunch to students within Kansas City Public Schools boundaries. Families can sign up online.
Any KCPS students can eat free meals, regardless if they’re enrolled in summer programs, but will have to eat onsite.
A district spokesperson said the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development has also been sharing materials for families to “keep students’ minds sharp.”
Lee’s Summit School District
Counselors in the Lee’s Summit School District compiled an online list of community resources so families can readily find summertime support.
Anyone 18 and younger can receive free breakfast and lunch at Westview Elementary School through July 2. The Summit Church starts its free lunch program on June 3 at apartment buildings and locations throughout the city.
Other churches, social service agencies and community partners can provide families with food, clothing and utility assistance. The online list also includes resources for housing assistance from City Union Mission, Hillcrest Transitional Housing and River of Refuge.
Families can also receive therapeutic services from ReDiscover and University Health Behavioral Health Lakewood Counseling, according to the resource list.
Fort Osage School District
A spokesperson for the Fort Osage School District said it offers free breakfast and lunch for children 18 and younger at sites throughout the community.
The district has also partnered with the nonprofit Many Parts One Body to provide care bags of food at the end of summer school for 200 students in need. Fort Osage has also opened a care closet to help families in need of clothes and hygiene products.
A district spokesperson said students who receive onsite counseling also receive those services during the summer sessions.
Free lunch and grocery assistance across the metro
Elizabeth Keever, chief resource officer at Harvesters, said food insecurity rises over the summer. She said the latest Feeding America Map the Meal Gap study found 1 in 7 individuals faces hunger in the food bank’s service area, including 1 in 6 children.
“There is a unique challenge that those families face because they don't have those meals that they otherwise would have had at the schools for breakfast or for lunch,” Keever said.
To meet that need, she said they continue to help programs distribute BackSnack meals over the summer and educate families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits about the federal government’s new summer food assistance program, known as Sun Bucks.
The program will give families $120 per child though an electronic benefits card to help offset the cost of groceries.
Keever said this increased need in the community comes as Harvesters and other food pantries are feeling the effects of canceled shipments, federal funding cuts, increased tariffs and potential SNAP changes.
“There is a big concern that there are too many issues that are all impacting the same population, and we're really asking the community to step up and help us make sure that no more individuals in our region fall through the gap,” Keever said.
Families can find summer meals, food pantry and kitchen locations at the food bank’s online food locator map.
