Operation Breakthrough, Inc.

Despite the odds for children in poverty nationally to start kindergarten ready to learn, over 90% of Operation Breakthrough’s graduating preschool students have tested 'ready for kindergarten' four years in a row, nearly double the rate cited by the Department of Education in its 2015 report. Our primary goal at Operation Breakthrough is to make sure every child is ready to succeed in school, regardless of family social-economic status or other adversity. We work to address their myriad needs through innovative educational programming, early therapeutic intervention, and comprehensive services for the children’s families, including ongoing assistance with housing and employment, emergency needs, crisis management, adult mental health services and parenting education. Our overall goal is to move families forward on a path to greater stability so their children have a firm foundation for success in school and in life.

Another goal for Operation Breakthrough is to develop and nurture children’s interest in STEM fields and equip them with 21st Century skills at an early age. It is widely acknowledged that by the time students enter high school, most have self-identified as not interested in STEM subjects. To change this trajectory and empower the children enrolled in Operation Breakthrough’s School-Age Program to build 21st Century skills and prepare them to compete in a global economy, we have launched a Twilight STEM program. This program engages children in activities such as coding, programming and circuitry to develop and enhance 21st Century skills like problem-solving, communication, creativity, cooperation and digital literacy. The program builds on the curriculum and activities for school-age students during before- and after-school hours by offering them during “twilight” hours -- evenings, weekends, or school holidays. Activities include experiential field trips, participation in clubs, regional/national robotics competitions, and engagement with other youth-focused organizations.

The Twilight STEM program builds on the research of high-quality out-of-school programs in STEM and the work of the Real World Learning Task Force sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation to cultivate critical attributes children need be ready for the future. Students will:
• Serve as change agents in their own lives and communities.
• Develop the ability to learn, thrive, think, contribute, and relate.
• Earn critical market value credentials needed for success in the workforce.

Key strategies/activities in 2019 included:
• Early Stem: We piloted a variety of new programs that will help our preschool children meet or exceed developmental milestones for school readiness with demonstrated problem solving, cooperation and digital literacy skills. We strongly believe in the importance of MAKING and early STEM for fostering the creativity and confidence children need to be successful at school and to become agents of change in their personal lives and in their communities.

• MakerCity: Operation Breakthrough’s before/after-school & summer program, MakerCity, goes far beyond the basic needs of helping students build strong academic skills in reading and math. It incorporates 21st Century skill building and STEM into every facet of learning. Through our ten interactive zones, nearly 350 students, ages 5-14, learn to think critically, collaborate with each other, and engage in real-world problem solving. In MakerCity, students explore science and math in 10-week cycles, through applied technology and the arts, while building connections to other academic subjects.

In addition, we offer a wide range of support services to children and families, including:
• USDA-approved food program, providing hot breakfasts, lunches and an afternoon snack 5 days a week;
• On-site pediatric medical care, including immunizations, health screenings, and treatment for illnesses and injuries in a clinic operated by Children's Mercy Hospital;
• On-site preventive and corrective dental care through a partnership with the UMKC School of Dentistry;
• Play therapy and other therapeutic interventions for children facing issues of family violence or abuse offered onsite by three staff therapists;
• Psychological consultations as needed through our partnership with Children’s Mercy’s Behavior Psychology Department;
• On-site occupational and speech therapy for kids with developmental delays, provided by staff occupational therapist and speech pathologist;
• Behavior Intervention services for children 3 – 5 to improve self-regulation skills so kids will be socially-emotionally ready for kindergarten.
• Emergency assistance, including access to food, hygiene items, clothing, diapers, furniture and other home goods;
• Crisis counseling, strengths-based case management, and individual or group therapy for parents in crisis, provided by six social workers and two Adult/Family Therapists;
• Supportive Housing through our partnership with Amethyst Place to help low-income families find and keep housing. Rent/utility assistance and intensive case management are also available to families facing eviction
• Parenting Education to help parents’ better understand their children’s social-emotional and developmental needs and Emotional Support groups to help each family build a network of support to help them through difficult times.
• Referral services for children with special needs and families who need additional services.

Operation Breakthrough has been providing culturally-relevant programs and services to at-risk children and families for nearly 50 years. The Center became a Head Start/Early Head Start site in 1998 and was accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 2005, with renewals every five years. In February 2020, we earned the Missouri Accreditation of Programs for Children and Youth. Our key leaders are CEO Mary Esselman, Education Director Mary Mulkey, and Debbie Starr, director of Clinical & Support Services.

A 25-year veteran of urban education with two doctorates in education, Mary Esselman has a wealth of experience that comes from innovating in schools. She spearheaded the implementation of a variety of student-centered systems where she and her team worked to transform traditional public schools into prototypes for personalized, blended, 21st Century teaching and learning. She has worked with students ranging from pre-K to age 20, as well as with educational organizations in Washington, DC, Chicago, Kansas City, and Detroit. Her work has been cited in several publications, and her work on blended professional development is featured in a Gates Foundation Caselet on Next Generation Learning. She has presented at numerous national and regional educational conferences.

Mary M is responsible for the overall administration and management of OB’s early learning and school-age programs, including day-to-day operations, achievement of educational goals, and compliance with regulating entities. She also works closely with Clinical & Support Services to ensure an interdisciplinary approach to supporting children and families. Mary M joined OB in 2013 as Education & Outreach Coordinator, responsible for the implementation of a collaboration with Emmanuel Family & Child Development Center. Before joining OB, she was a Program Director at Bright Horizons’ Citi Family Center, where she was responsible for NAEYC and state licensing requirements and supervised teaching staff. Previously, she was a parent educator and elementary teacher in the Kansas City area. Mary M earned a Master’s in Education Administration and BA in Elementary Education.

Debbie Starr, LSCSW, LCSW, RPT, has led the Clinical and Social Services team since 2018. Her duties include overseeing children and adult mental health and case management, program development, staff development, and cultural relevance of program modalities. In addition, Debbie oversees six Family Advocates and two managers, who provide support services to the children’s families. She has worked in OB’s clinical department since 2012, starting as a Family Therapist. She has extensive training in trauma-informed approaches working with children and families. She also is trained in psychodynamic therapy, attachment, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, narrative exposure therapy, somatic approaches, Theraplay, and Adlerian play therapy.

In 2018-19, Operation Breakthrough sent 93% of the graduating preschool children to Kindergarten ready based on the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) assessment, surpassing the goal of 90% for the fourth consecutive year. Eleven of the 12 pre-K classrooms met and/or exceeded the national average for quality interactions in emotional support, organizational support, and instructional support, exceeding our goal of 85%.

Our school-age enrollment climbed to 260 in this program year after facility and enrollment expansion in 2018. We saw increases across all children in reading at/above grade level from 68% in 2017-18 to 73% in 2018-19. We have also started tracking longitudinal reading data for children who are enrolled in our before/after school program. For the three cohorts of students who entered kindergarten ready, children reading at/above grade level in grade K-2 increased from 88% to 93%. This year was the first year we provided adaptive testing in math. We did see a significant improvement on the post-test of 27% with 69% of students testing proficient on the five power standards taught over the summer. Proficiency for K-2 was 77% at the end of summer with growth of 21% more children testing proficient.

The clinical team led 605 therapy sessions with individual children in 2018-19; 168 children received small group services. A total of 382 adult therapy sessions were provided with average attendance of 10 participants in each group.

Respondents to the Year-End Family Needs Assessment reported the following levels of improvement from participation in life-skill programming in the following areas:
Financial Stability -- 65%
Housing Stability -- 48%
Medical Care/Medicaid -- 40%
Parent/Child Relationships -- 21%
Reliable Transportation -- 30%
Reliable Supports and Connections -- 22%
Food Stability -- 11%
Advancing Education -- 20%

During the 2018-19 program year, our Center hosted two new preschool classrooms for Hogan Prep Charter Academy for 4- and 5-year-old children enrolled to begin kindergarten at the school next fall.

On the horizon for 2020-2022:
In early 2020, the Center's board and staff completed a refresh of the 2015 strategic plan, which over the next three years is designed to maximize school success for the children we serve through the delivery of quality education, health, and social services while strengthening the family's role in the child's well-being. Guiding the revised strategic plan are four key pathways -- Quality Child Education, Talented and Attuned Personnel, Supportive Services for Families, and Operational Excellence for Sustainability -- all of which are intended to “Empower Potential through People, Programming and Partnerships.”