We offer high-quality early education for Kansas City’s littlest learners. From 6 weeks to pre-kindergarten, we strive to provide a safe, caring, and educational environment.
Spots are available! Call 816-979-3600 or email EarlyEd@dellalamb.org to set up an appointment or simply walk in! We’d love to meet you and learn how we can best serve your family.
The KC Pre-K Cooperative offers FREE PRE-K for 3 and 4-year-olds in KC, MO who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Not eligible for free and reduced-price meals? Contact us to ask about other options!
Since 1897, Della Lamb’s Early Education program has provided essential support to Kansas City’s families. Originally established to help low-income, widowed, and single mothers care for their children while they worked, the program also enabled school-age siblings to attend school instead of staying home to care for younger family members. This early commitment to education helped families break the cycle of poverty, creating a legacy of community support that we continue today.
Our state-accredited Early Education program serves children from six weeks to five years old, supporting a diverse community where 75% of families qualify for free or reduced lunch and nearly 40% are English language learners. Our dedicated staff is TraumaSmart-trained through St. Luke’s and uses Conscious Discipline to ensure that every child has a safe, caring, and structured environment in which to thrive. Long-tenured teachers bring continuity, allowing children to feel secure as they grow and transition through our classrooms.
At Della Lamb, we’re committed to helping each child become a confident learner with a genuine love for discovery. We believe in building a Kinder Kansas City for all families, and we welcome you to join us in this mission as we continue to provide high-quality, compassionate care to Kansas City’s youngest learners.
Through key partnerships, we extend our services to meet a broader range of needs. We partner with Rockhurst University to provide free, on-site speech pathology services, helping children with speech and language development. The Family Conservancy supports both parents and teachers by providing early education resources, offering Conscious Discipline classes to parents, and empowering families with effective skills to guide their children’s behavior. This fall, the Royals Literacy Program launched in our program to foster early literacy skills, while Country Club Bank sponsored a classroom and provided financial literacy classes for parents, promoting family financial wellness. These and many other partnerships allow us to offer a holistic support system for our children and families. Additionally, thanks to the Hall Family Foundation, we have a dedicated Family Engagement Specialist who supports families with essential needs such as paperwork and state subsidies while connecting them to external resources for comprehensive assistance.
Provide quality education child care, nutrition, nurturing and supplemental services in preparation for kindergarten.
Allow parents the freedom necessary to seek and maintain employment or adult education opportunities, which further enhance opportunities for employment or advancement.
Provide parenting educational skills to support positive parent/child interaction and positive individual and family development.
Speech therapy services and trauma-informed care.
Emergency assistance with food, clothing, rent or utility bills, etc.
Healthy early childhood development milestones through our partnership with Start at Zero and coinciding parental support.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have limited our Early Ed program hours to 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, nearly 50 weeks a year.
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Low-income families may qualify for subsidized fees through the Missouri Department of Family Services. Contact Della Lamb Community Services for enrollment information, 816.842.8040.
