Hello Community!
This month’s community highlight is a local organization called, Operation Breakthrough. They are a full day, year round, education center for children ages 6 weeks to 14 years old. They are located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
“Operation Breakthrough provides a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and empowers their families through advocacy, emergency aid and education.”
Operation Breakthrough was started by Sister Corita Bussanmas and Sister Berta Sailer in 1971 with the intention to provide quality child care for children of the working poor in the central city. They are a nationally accredited, not-for-profit corporation. The program began with 50 infants, toddlers and preschoolers and then expanded to include before- and after-school care. Since 1981, it has added a broad range of social services to meet the needs of the children and their families. In 2006, they completed an expansion that doubled the size of the facility and increased its licensed capacity.
Educational Programs
The Early Childhood Program at Operation Breakthrough has been nationally accredited since 2005 from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). They provide hands-on-learning experiences, supportive teachers, and language-rich environments for children between the ages of 6 weeks to 5 years of age. They also provide before and after school enrichment as well as summer enrichment programs for children in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. Operation breakthrough has a Smart Lab to provide a wide range of activities from robotics to graphic arts. From their MakerSpace to their Outdoor Learning, Operation Breakthrough is continually providing ways for kids to learn through Hands-On activities and tinkering.
Parent Programs
Operation Breakthrough provides parent programs to help educate and connect on topics such as, child development and household management. They provide support groups to help parents cope with child-rearing challenges and provide family advocates to help create the best possible environment for a child’s healthy development. Additionally, they support families in obtaining safe, stable housing. They also provide nutritional education, counseling and assessments for pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women and their children under the age of 5. This program is called Women Infants and Children (WIC) and is offered on-site. Mothers in the program receive vouchers for milk, formula and cereal. Lastly, Operation Breakthrough has a staff of licensed clinical therapists to provide support for parents struggling with stress and other mental health issues. They provide individual and group therapy.
Health Programs
Operation Breakthrough is committed to providing quality health and wellness resources to allow children to develop to their full potential. They provide access to a USDA approved food program, occupational and physical therapy, dental services, a clinic operated by Children’s Mercy and speech and language therapy.
Operation Breakthrough relies on the generosity of this community to continue its work.
You can support Operation Breakthrough though financial support, donating items from their wishlists, volunteering and fundraising. We love everything Operation Breakthrough is doing amazing things in the community and we want to come alongside them and support them in any way we can!
To learn more visit https://operationbreakthrough.org/