Operation Breakthrough expands summer school program, provides job opportunities

Operation Breakthrough is partnering with Crossroads Charter Schools and DeLaSalle Education Center to provide in-person summer school for 200 more students in Kansas City’s urban core.

Coronavirus restrictions on social distancing have forced many sites not to offer face-to-face summer education. For others, class sizes and duration have been significantly reduced to allow for social distancing, health, and safety. 

The partnership emerged when Dean Johnson, executive director of Crossroads, reached out to Operation Breakthrough to talk about giving more children access to in-person summer school.

“Learning loss in the summer is always a concern, especially for children in under-served communities,” says Mary Esselman, CEO of Operation Breakthrough. “This year, children are going into summer break having already lost two and half months in the classroom. That makes summer school even more critical.

“Once Sean Stalling (executive director of DeLaSalle Education Center) said we could use his building, we knew we had to expand our summer school program.”

DeLaSalle is offering its entire building at 3737 Troost Avenue as classroom space where Operation Breakthrough will have face-to-face instruction for 200 students entering first through sixth grades in the 2020-2021 school year. These students will be in addition to the 275 children in grades K-8, who are already enrolled for summer school at Operation Breakthrough, 3036 Troost. Crossroads will provide remote learning opportunities for K-8 students whose families choose to keep them at home this summer. 

The program will run weekdays from June 8 through July 31.

This expansion will create an additional 46 jobs in the Kansas City community this summer, including positions for teachers, learning assistants, support staff, receptionists, and cooks.

Job Applicants:
A job fair will be held at Operation Breakthrough (3036 Troost Ave.) on:
Thursday, May 28 from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. or Friday, May 29 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Interested job applicants may click here to apply online.