KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Finding the right school can be an overwhelming experience for parents.
"Just trying to figure out how. One: What are my actual options? And then two: How do I go about applying and making sure that I’m doing everything correctly?" said Stephanie A., a Kanas City parent.
School App KC strives to make the process simpler through an online application. The website allows families to enroll their children into an institution within the Kansas City Public Schools boundaries — including public, charter, private and daycare.
"There are a lot of times where people are looking for kindergarten classrooms or schools ... It’s like a college," said Robyn King, director of the program and Show Me KC Schools. "It takes that amount of time."
Finding the perfect fit for each student is King's mission. She says streamlining the process means there's one deadline (March 1, 2023), one set of rules and one easy online application.
As a former employee at Académie Lafayette, King knows just how vital early childhood education is.
"We want what’s best for the child," King said. "Starting them off early and getting all their needs met, as well as finding out what is even going to be needed for their future education."
Show Me KC Schools hosted a fair at the KC Public Library in downtown KCMO so parents could visit with area schools that are on the School App KC to get a better sense of where may be best for their children.
One mother of two, Carla Lee, planned ahead. King said the school fair was what introduced her to the online application.
"I wanted them to get the best education possible, and I knew Kansas City had great schools, but I wanted something different for them," Lee said.
Lee ended up enrolling her kids in Académie Lafayette via School App KC.
"You can download the app on your phone, on your mobile phone, and it sends reminders to let you know, ‘Hey, it’s time to apply for school,’ or ‘Hey, the deadlines are coming up,'” Lee said. "I don’t care how busy you are, it reminds you that it’s time to take care of your kids."
