Great Beginnings Early Education Center

The Foundation believes in the importance of working closely with the community to create great opportunities for students. And that’s just what occurred from 2001-2005 with the birth of Great Beginnings Early Education Center.

At the time, the youngest, most fragile students in our district were being taught in extremely inadequate learning facilities due to funding shortages. A generous anonymous donor provided a $2 million challenge grant to build a new, state-of-the-art facility for our youngest students and the idea of Great Beginnings was born.

Quickly, Foundation board members rose to the challenge and worked hard to raise the needed $2 million match. The community provided the remaining $2 million through a no-tax-increase bond issue. This community partnership built Great Beginnings Early Education Center at Legacy Park. This facility serves as a wonderful example of what a community can do when they work together.

Technology

The Foundation has partnered with the District to provide innovative and cutting-edge technology in our classrooms. Since 2012, the Foundation has given over $1.5 million to provide Chromebooks to students in elementary, middle, and high schools across the District. The Foundation was a leading partner in this initiative, providing approximately 20 percent of the funding necessary for this instructional tool that improves student achievement. The Foundation provided audio enhancement systems in classrooms from 2009-2012. From 2021 to 2025, the Foundation will partner with LSR7 to provide $352,000 for teacher and classroom technology devices.

PEAK Grants

PEAK stands for Promoting Excellence And Knowledge, and that's just what these classroom grants for teachers do. As of December 2024, more than $1.23 Million in PEAK Grants have been awarded to LSR7 classrooms by the Foundation.

Scholarships

Through generous community donations, the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation offers thousands of dollars in continuing education scholarships to graduating seniors each year. Since 1999, the Foundation has awarded over $1.13 million to more than 1,000 students to continue their education.

Special Projects

The Foundation manages more than 100 donor funds to benefit students in Lee’s Summit. These funds have provided numerous opportunities for students including tutoring, robotics competitions, IB testing fees, outdoor classroom space, enhanced nursing simulator, and so much more!