Video: Operation Breakthrough helping kiddos reach their full potential

November 9, 2017  |  Bobby Burch

Operation Breakthrough (19 of 19)

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.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2017 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        Scoops out for summer: Couple’s rock-themed ice cream brand Alice Scooper’s adds another shop on its Northland tour

        By Tommy Felts | June 21, 2025

        Mel Engel and Todd Eaton are now taking a second stage, opening their family business — a shop known for made-on-site ice cream and sorbet — in a new Northland city after charting quick success in their hometown. Alice Scooper’s Ice Cream Co. is set to debut next week in The Village at Briarcliff, 4173…

        Why this ‘monstrous Midwesterner’ started the presses for a sacred space in KC’s West Bottoms

        By Tommy Felts | June 20, 2025

        Editor’s note: The following story was produced through a paid partnership with MOSourceLink, which boasts a mission to help entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state of Missouri grow and succeed by providing free, easy access to the help they need — when they need it. Thayer Bray loves printmaking, but he gets just as…

        Kansas City ESO icon Maria Meyers championed for bringing SourceLink to the world stage

        By Tommy Felts | June 20, 2025

        A decades-long effort to grow inclusive entrepreneurial communities by strengthening access to critical resources began as a grassroots movement in Kansas City, said Maria Meyers, whose work recently earned her global recognition — and a rare honor in recent years for an American recipient. Meyers, the founder of SourceLink — a first-of-its-kind platform boasting more…

        How this startup founder earned $200K in unrestricted, trust-based funding to transform KC’s relationship to food

        By Tommy Felts | June 19, 2025

        Long-term community change comes one meal at a time, acknowledged one of Attane Health’s biggest supporters, reflecting on the Kansas City startup’s growth from the “spark of an idea to a full-fledged solution” — ultimately earning its founder a game-changing funding boost. The St. Louis-based Missouri Foundation for Health this month announced its inaugural Spark Prize…