Video: Operation Breakthrough helping kiddos reach their full potential
November 9, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Founded in 1971 by two nuns, Sister Corita Bussanmas and Sister Berta Sailer, Operation Breakthrough serves more than 450 children daily with a mission to provide a safe educational environment for children in poverty.
The has adapted through the decades to meet the needs of Kansas City’s low-income community, Operation Breakthrough CEO Mary Esselman said. Implemented three years ago, the makerspace includes such zones as textiles, studio arts, chef’s corner and construction/toy hacking, she said. It’s part of an effort to expand early childhood development beyond merely teaching toddlers how to pick up a book, Esselman said.
Welcoming select children from ages 6 weeks to 13 years, the center also includes such health-related programs as a USDA-approved meal program serving more than 1,000 meals a day, occupational and physical therapy, speech and language therapy, a dental clinic, and an on-site Children’s Mercy clinic.
Learn more about the center with the video below.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
VIDEO: Empowering at-risk women, Weave Gotcha Covered founder reflects on journey
About 10 years ago, Kelly Wilson’s family was one of the many that was hit hard by the Great Recession. A former stay at home mom, Wilson had to figure out a way to support her family. She eventually found a job at a local fabric store for $5 an hour, which was the minimum…
JE Dunn leads $500K round in smart apartment startup Homebase
A handful of Kansas City firms both large and small are partnering to advance smart home technologies. JE Dunn Construction Group and Sunflower Development Group have led at $500,000 investment round in Kansas City-based Homebase, a tech firm building an IoT smart apartment and building platform for multi-family properties. Will Winkler of PSW Real Estate,…
National conference series for digital entrepreneurs makes Kansas City debut
Hundreds of social media gurus, marketing professionals and online entrepreneurs will gather in Kansas City for a two-day conference that will feature talks from executives at Salesforce, AOL, LinkedIn and more. Organized by TechMedia, Digital Summit: Kansas City is part of a national conference series that has been connecting digital marketing professionals for ten years.…
Over 100 women will converge in KC for a weekend of coding and camaraderie
This coming weekend, Kansas City will host over 100 women coders from around the Midwest for an immersive, two-day workshop. The second annual workshop Django Girls is an international non-profit organization that is organized locally by Kansas City Women in Technology. The workshop will be held July 21 and 22 and attendees will build web…
