Great Beginnings Early Education Center

The Great Beginnings Early Education Center, located within Lee’s Summit’s Legacy Park, houses both the R-7 Parents As Teachers program and the Early Childhood Center.

Parents As Teachers (PAT) is a home/community/school partnership designed to support parents in their parenting role. This free, voluntary program provides personal visits from certified parent educators who are trained in early childhood development. They assist parents in recognizing and discovering the seven developmental stages in their child’s life and in discovering any conditions that might hinder their child’s development. Last year nearly 10,000 family visits were made by 34 parent educators in Lee’s Summit. Additionally, PAT provides other services including developmental screenings, parent group meetings, teen parent groups, and special programs for children with disabilities, English as a Second Language families, and single-parent households. To enroll call 986-2480 or visit our website http://pat.leesummit.k12.mo.us/

The Early Childhood Center (ECC) is provided free for children ages three to five who qualify based upon a screening and possible evaluation. Children who are eligible for the program include those experiencing delays in mental, physical, communicative, social, emotional, or adaptive development, as well as children who have physical or mental conditions or medical or environmental circumstances that would result in delays. Children served through the Early Childhood program may qualify to receive assistance such as speech, language, and occupational or physical therapy. Those with the most severe needs may have an extended school year to maintain skills and prevent regression. One of the goals of the program is to provide children with the necessary tools to allow them to enter kindergarten ready to learn.