Shawnee Mission outlines pre-K expansion, Jump Start outcomes and a 2027 early childhood center plan
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Summary
District leaders told the school board they've expanded pre-K offerings, will open online enrollment Dec. 1 for 2026-27, and reported Jump Start pre-K summer gains (230 attendees in 2025, 98% still enrolled); a new early childhood center at 96th and Connell is planned for 2027.
Shawnee Mission School District officials told the board that the district is expanding early childhood services and is planning a new early childhood center to increase access and the continuum of pre-K offerings.
Dr. Leanne Neal, chief of strategic initiatives, said enrollment for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten opens Dec. 1 on smsd.org for the 2026-27 school year and that 21 of the district's 34 elementary schools currently host pre-K classrooms. Neal said the district added two classrooms this year (Pawnee and Tomahawk) and is "in the design process to build a new intentionally designed from the ground up early childhood center, which is anticipated to open in 2027 at 96th and Connell." She said the design work is intended to add general and unified classrooms at the center to broaden access and support the district's continuum of services.
The board heard details about several district programs that serve children and families before kindergarten. Mary Chris Blaken, parent educator and PAT supervisor, described the Parents as Teachers program, saying the district affiliate served 465 children from 387 families last year and logged 4,213 personal home visits. "We often catch things early," Blaken said, recounting examples in which parent educators identified a child's eye disorder and a severe iron deficiency that led families to clinical follow-up.
Neal also described Jump Start to Learning, a three-week July program to prepare incoming kindergarten students. She said 230 students attended Jump Start in 2025 and 98% "remained enrolled in Shawnee Mission Schools at the beginning of their first semester of kindergarten." Neal said Jump Start's 2025 funding came from Title I federal funds and a Hall Family Foundation grant routed through the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation.
Teachers involved in pre-K described instructional practices and assessments. Wendy Johnston, a unified preschool teacher at Tomahawk, detailed a four-part continuum (general pre-K, unified preschool, integrated classrooms at SMECEC, and structured learning centers) for students with a range of supports. Staff said the district administers the myIGDIs assessment in literacy and numeracy in fall, winter and spring to better track growth and to tailor interventions.
Board members asked whether the new early childhood center would increase capacity. Neal said the goal is to add classrooms that expand both capacity and the continuum of services, while acknowledging not every site can host additional rooms. The board praised the program data and the emphasis on family engagement and early intervention.
Next steps: the district will post enrollment links Dec. 1 and continue design work for the planned 2027 early childhood center; staff said they will return with more information about the instructional-resource pilot next month.
