Tag: KD Academy

Lesser-known sales tax faces pivotal 2026 vote, opportunity to define its next chapter

By Tommy Felts / December 18, 2025

Editor’s note: The following details the Kansas City’s Central City Economic Development (CCED) sales tax initiative within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. EDCKC is a paid partner of Startland News. A decade-long experiment in east side investment is entering a new crucible as Kansas City’s CCED sales tax district heads toward a quiet…

How KD Academy is redefining childcare as a pillar of KC’s economic growth

By Tommy Felts / March 5, 2025

Editor’s note: The following story was written and first published by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC). Click here to read the original story. In the heart of Kansas City, a state-of-the-art facility — embodying innovation in early childhood education and economic development — works day-in and day-out to meet the demands…

Supporters-turned critics: Sales tax for east side projects ‘went off the rails’; KCMO mayor defends effort’s progress

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2023

Editor’s note: This in-depth reporting project was originally published by Kansas City PBS/Flatland, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, The Kansas City Beacon, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story. Revenue flows in faster than it gets disbursed for projects If you…

Meet the KC Chamber’s Top 10 for 2022: One will be the next ‘Small Business of the Year’ 

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2022

From a rapidly expanding restaurant chain to a 24/7 daycare facility to a workforce training and information technology leader building a statewide footprint, the finalists for the 2022 Small Business of the Year award run the gamut of forward-thinking Kansas City ventures, said Joe Reardon. “Every year I become more and more impressed with our…

$4M dream childcare center opened on Prospect as planned; why the 24/7 KD Academy is struggling to fill its beds

By Tommy Felts / March 23, 2022

Penny Dale-McCant built a childcare model — and a $4 million expansion of her KD Academy brand with her husband, Myron McCant — unlike anything else in the region, she said. Today, however, the center serves only a third of its intended capacity: a product of pandemic trends that have limited staffing. “I’m just proud…

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