Each day, schools provide students with a safe space, mental health support and sometimes more than two meals. But summer break can cut off vulnerable kids’ access to the resources they need.
That’s why schools around the Kansas City area are ensuring students are supported until they return to class by providing free food, counseling and referrals to other local organizations that can help.
Nicole Sequeira, the Independence School District’s director of family services, said finances are challenging right now for the families she serves. Her team is seeing an uptick in the number of referrals for food, gas and utility assistance.
“We definitely have families that used to barely get by who are struggling to barely get by anymore,” Sequeira said.
Here’s a look at the meals, financial aid and resources available over the summer break.
- Independence School District
- Kansas City Public Schools
- Lee's Summit School District
- North Kansas City Schools
- Hickman Mills School District
- Park Hill School District
- Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools
- Shawnee Mission School District
- Blue Valley Schools
- Free lunch and grocery assistance
Independence School District
The Independence School District offers free meals and mental health support for students throughout the summer.
Breakfast and lunch is available to anyone under 18 at schools throughout the district. Visitors must check in at the front office, and meals must be consumed on-site because of U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations.
The school district also has a therapist assigned to each building through a partnership with the nonprofit Centerstone, Sequeira said. Students receive mental health support at summer school if they are enrolled, or the district makes spaces available where they can meet a therapist in-person or virtually.
Sequeira said families increasingly rely on schools to meet student needs beyond education. Unfortunately, she said, that coincides with a decrease in school funding.
“Districts realize they have to take care of the whole student and family to have our best results with education, give kids the best chance they have for learning and being successful,” Sequeira said.
Sequeira said her team has staff that are available year-round to field phone calls from families who face eviction or need other help.
She said her team connects families with Salvation Army, Community Services League, Harvesters, Hope House, reStart Inc. and City Union Mission. The school district also offers gift cards for gas, utilities and groceries through its foundation.
Kansas City Public Schools
Paola Vera leads the Students in Transition program for Kansas City Public Schools to support families experiencing homelessness. During this time of year, she said her team helps families enroll in summer school and classes for the fall.
Vera said two social workers visit local shelters and community centers to get the word out. Students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Act can receive transportation for summer school, even if they live outside the district’s boundaries.
Vera said student homelessness liaisons in other districts work together to make sure students are enrolled in school.
“Families feel a little bit more empowered. They are still worrying about the kids, but that's something that it's taken care of,” Vera said. “They have one more support in that crisis that they are dealing with.”
Her team’s office is open year-round and has hygiene items and new shoes through Souls4Soles available for families to take home for their kids. While they don’t manage housing, Vera said her team can make connections to options for families in need.
Kansas City Public Schools will also offer free breakfast and lunch at 11 different schools through June, with the exception of June 16, 19 and 25 because of World Cup events and Juneteenth.
Katlyn Lanoue, the district’s officer of nutrition and compliance, said families can receive meals from the nonprofit Total Man during gaps when schools don’t provide meals.
She said inflation has been a lot for any family to handle, but summer lunches can help.
“Let us do the shopping, let us do the cooking, and take advantage of the opportunity that we have for our students,” Lanoue said.
Meals must be consumed on-site, but Lanoue said the district can make case-by-case accommodations. The district can also accommodate for allergies if a medical form is on file.
Lee’s Summit School District
School counselors in the Lee’s Summit School District compile an online list of community resources each year so families can readily find summertime support.
Damian Moses, the school community liaison, said this year’s list added resources for mental health support and an overview of local summer camps.
“No kiddo should be hungry or have not the appropriate attire or clothing,” Moses said. “Their needs hopefully can be met through some of these resources that we provide.”
The school district will offer free meals for anyone under 18 at Meadow Lane Elementary School through June. Students can also pick out a book from the district’s “bookmobile” at different schools and apartment buildings every Friday in June and July.
Moses said the district also relies on community and business partners to support families. That includes food pantries at Coldwater of Lee's Summit, Abundant Life Church and Church on the Rock Outreach Center. The Summit Church also visits neighborhoods to distribute sack lunches.
Housing and utility assistance is another big concern for families during the school year, according to Moses. The district’s summer guide includes support for both needs, including Hillcrest Transitional Housing and River of Refuge.
North Kansas City Schools
Wendy Marckx, lead school community resource specialist for North Kansas City Schools, said many of the district’s buildings will stay open through June for summer school.
There will also be a “reduced summer school” for certain elementary schools through most of July. Marckx said five social workers will be at elementary schools during June, and one during July.
When social workers aren’t available, Marckx said someone is always at the district’s student services office to help families connect with resources like rent assistance, mental health resources or domestic violence shelters.
“We want to make sure that children are in a good space to be able to learn, so sometimes we have to take care of some of these things outside of the school building to make sure that when the kids are here that they are on a level playing field,” Marckx said.
Marckx said the district will also serve free meals across nearly two dozen sites for anyone under 18. The Clay County Sheriff's Department contributes summer food boxes in July for families in need.
Feed Northland Kids also supports families throughout the summer. Once a month, families with a referral from a school social worker can pick up a bag of food. Marckx said many school buildings also have partnerships with local churches that provide boxes of food.
Hickman Mills School District
Danyca Singleton, director of student and family services, said her team focuses on identifying students who may need extra support over the summer months and proactively connect families with resources before the school year ends.
“This includes direct outreach, individualized support plans, referrals to agencies, and ensuring families know who to contact if a need arises over the summer,” Singleton said in a statement. “Our goal is to maintain strong family, school, and community partnerships that continue to support students beyond the classroom.”
Family school liaisons also provide informational flyers for food distribution programs, mental health referrals, housing and utility support, school-based summer programs, transportation assistance and connections to community organizations.
Singleton said the district also collaborates with Hillcrest Community Center to help meet families’ needs when school is not in session. They can contact school liaisons, student support staff or administrators for help and referrals.
“Even during the summer months, we want families to know they are not alone and that support remains available,” Singleton said.
Park Hill School District
Stephanie Richison, the district social worker for the Park Hill School District, said in a statement that she works year-round to help families navigate community resources. She said social workers are also available during summer school to help connect families with an array of resources including food, hygiene items, school supplies, clothing and housing support.
Families can access free meals through Missouri’s Summer Food Service Program at school and community sites. Richison said families can locate meal sites through an interactive map on the state’s website.
Richison said several local organizations in the Northland and Platte County area also provide support throughout the summer including the St Therese St Vincent De Paul Food Pantry, Mimi's Pantry and Northland Clothing Center.
She said HOPE.wrx offers emergency groceries and toiletry items and families can check hours and availability at CAAGKC Food & Toiletry Pantries. The Northland Human Services Directory includes a list of financial and other types of assistance.
Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools
Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools will offer free meals to anyone under 18 at several schools and community sites including Parkwood Pool, Eisenhower Community Center and B. Lee Community Center.
Ruchi Favreau, the district's school nutrition director, said school lunches are one of the most consistent meals that many students eat each day.
“Summer feeding helps close that gap between when school's out and still ensures that our kids are fed and they can go back to their schools in fall feeling healthy, nourished and ready to learn,” Favreau said.
Favreau said each summer site will provide two meals such as breakfast, lunch or a snack. Food must be eaten on-site, so families can eat in the cafeteria at school sites and the district will provide tables and seats at community locations.
She said summer meals are also another source of support for families impacted by changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“With those other social public safety nets being taken away from millions of families across the nation, as well as like 10% to 12% of families in Kansas, that's going to be affected,” Favreau said. “These programs are vital for just overall well-being of our students.”
Shawnee Mission School District
A spokesperson for the Shawnee Mission School District said staff and community support groups work with families throughout the school year to help them prepare for times when class is out.
“These collaborators work not to just help families with immediate needs, but many times find resources to help them achieve a more stable or sustainable situation for the longer term,” a spokesperson said.
A variety of community resources that serve families during the school year are also open in the summer, according to the school district.
The school district offers free lunches for all children at several of its schools from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Adults may also buy lunch for $5 cash.
Blue Valley Schools
Dr. Mindy Wells, incoming assistant director of student and family services for Blue Valley Schools, said her team tries to connect families with resources to help fill the gap of support during the summer.
That includes referrals to community partners or mental health support, and links to various resources housed on the district’s website. Wells said her team also refers families to the 988 crisis line.
“That isn't only for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation, it can be from a parent or a student just seeking support of some kind, and that crisis line can link them with local resources in the community based on the needs of the individual at that time,” Wells said.
Wells said the district also partners with Johnson County Mental Health, which has a 24/7 crisis line. The district’s summer resource list also includes the RSI Crisis Stabilization Center for mental health and substance use emergencies.
Support for social services includes Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, Salvation Army, the Johnson County Department of Aging and Human Services, Safehome Domestic Violence Shelter and El Centro Inc. Wells said families can also use the Kansas Food Source’s searchable database to locate food pantries and meal programs in Johnson County.
Wells said it’s important to ensure students are taken care of all year long.
“We're here to take care of the whole child, and by taking care of the family's needs and the child's needs, they're better able to access their educational services, and we do our best to either provide those services for them or to connect them with our community partners,” Wells said.
Wells said the district’s Blue Valley Food Pantry will be offered during the summer with limited hours.
How to get fee lunch and grocery assistance across the Kansas City metro
The USDA's summer meal program allows approved sites to serve meals and snacks to kids 18 and younger for free.
An online map allows families to find sites near them. Most locations in the Kansas City area require students to eat meals on-site, but some in rural areas allow families to take meals to go.
Families in Missouri and Kansas can also get help with grocery costs through the federal government’s summer food assistance program, known as Sun Bucks. The program will give families in both states $120 per child though an electronic benefits card.
Applications for the program are open through Aug. 31.
