Education

Dignity and a dollar: The Grooming Project empowers KC mothers

Natasha Kirsch believes that a living wage does more than provide people with money. That’s why she founded Empowering the Parent to Empower the Child (EPEC), a non-profit that helps young mothers in poverty find higher-paying jobs and become self-reliant in the process. And to achieve that mission, Kirsch is kickstarting an effort that not…

virtual reality KCVR

Virtual reality hackathon to visualize next-generation ed tech tools

Move over, gamers, virtual reality isn’t just for you anymore. Kansas City will soon host its first-ever virtual reality hackathon, and it’s all about classroom education. The Kansas City Virtual Reality club — which brings together the area’s virtual reality enthusiasts — is challenging virtual- and augmented-reality aficionados to create applications that can help educators…

Science City merger to bolster local STEM education

Officials leading the merger of two non-profit science organizations hope their combined efforts will translate to more STEM professionals in Kansas City. A science museum, Union Station’s Science City is merging with Kansas City-based Science Pioneers to offer complementary science events, activities and programs. The merger — which will be complete July 1 — aims…

KC Social Innovation Center kicks off with $100K

Education in Kansas City is receiving an innovative boost. Village Capital, a global entrepreneurial development organization, recently announced that Kansas City will be one of its pioneer “VilCap communities.” The KC Social Innovation Center, or KCSIC, will manage Kansas City’s VilCap community. The organization — launched by Think Big Partners in May — focuses on education…

It’s back: TEDxKC returns to ‘question everything’

Ticket sales for the popular lecture series “TEDxKC” kick off next Tuesday. With a theme to “question everything,” the eighth-annual TEDxKC will welcome innovators, artists, activists and researchers from around the world to share their big ideas. TEDxKC is a wildly popular event in Kansas City, garnering sellout crowds not only at its host location,…