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Kansas City Today

Schools Face Staff Shortages And The Youngest Students May Be Falling Behind

By Nomin Ujiyediin,
Byron J. Love
Published September 14, 2021 at 4:00 AM CDT
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School staffing agencies say if more workers take time off over the flu and holiday season, schools could reach a breaking point. Kindergarten enrollment fell 9% and preschool enrollment dropped 21%. The lack of early education could affect how students perform for years to come.

Schools nationwide are running out of bus drivers, lunch food, and even teachers. KCUR's Jodi Fortino reports on how schools in the Kansas City area are dealing with this shortage.

Also, thousands of Kansas families chose to keep their preschoolers and kindergarteners home during the pandemic. Kansas News Service reporter Suzanne Perez checks in as those students head to school for the first time.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and edited by Maria Carter and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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Nomin Ujiyediin
As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin
Byron J. Love
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
See stories by Byron J. Love
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