Johnson County district adds classrooms for youngest students to meet growing need

Some of Johnson County’s youngest students may get a new place to learn as early as the 2027 school year as the Shawnee Mission School District moves forward with its proposal to build a new early childhood education center.

The center will be built at the former Katherine Carpenter Elementary School site, located at 8700 West 96th St. in northwest Overland Park. The former elementary school hasn’t been occupied for almost a decade. After it’s torn down and rebuilt, the new building is anticipated to serve 200 to 250 3- to 5-year-olds in the district.

“It will serve as a centralized hub for early childhood education, helping to fulfill the goal of providing equitable access and a greater continuum of services offered with the center,” Shawnee Mission spokesperson Kristin Babcock told The Star in an email.

The proposal comes at a time when many families in Johnson County are having a hard time finding affordable, nearby child care options as Kansas faces a severe child care shortage.

“The district has identified a need for equitable access to early interventions and foundational learning,” Babcock said. “The Shawnee Mission School District is dedicated to supporting the full developmental spectrum of early learners and their families, from birth through their confident entry into kindergarten.”

Katherine Carpenter Elementary operated from 1965 until 2008. While the building has been used for events by the school district, the building hasn’t been occupied by a school since it closed. The district first proposed the site’s demolition last April, and it’s now being prepped for construction, planner Najma Muhammad told the Overland Park Planning Commission in February.

The district anticipates it will cost nearly $27 million, which will come from funding available through a $264 million bond the district’s voters passed in 2021.

The district operates 21 pre-kindergarten classrooms across 34 elementary schools and 13 classrooms at the Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center — serving nearly 700 students total, according to district data. The new center could bring that number to more than 900 students.

“The new center is being intentionally designed for early learners to provide a space specifically suited for their developmental needs,” Babcock said.

In the proposed center, 18 classrooms would serve 15 students in morning and afternoon sessions for five days a week. Each classroom is typically staffed by a teacher, a pre-kindergarten aide and a pre-kindergarten para-educator.

The curriculum focuses on personalized instruction, early literacy, early numeracy and social competencies and emphasizes “active learning in stimulating environments with challenging materials,” she said.

“This expansion will allow the district to extend services beyond special education programming to include general education opportunities while increasing inclusive learning opportunities for our youngest learners,” Babcock said.

With the Overland Park Planning Commission’s approval in February, construction is set to begin in May or June and the building is anticipated to open in the fall of 2027.