Ability KC

Our Teachers

Jewell Cockrum, Program Director of Early Childhood Development & Education

Jewell is a licensed speech-language pathologist and board-certified behavior analyst. She has over 30 years of experience working with children through Speech Therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis. She believes in each child’s potential, the importance of parent advocacy, and the focus on individualization and natural environment-based instruction.

Philosophy

At our school, we focus on being a space where we build brighter futures for all children, including children with a diagnosis or disability. We have a team of educators and therapists focused on meeting your child where they are and using their expertise to know how we can help them grow in preparation for the next phase in life.

We focus on play-based methodologies and curricula like Creative Curriculum as well as social-emotional development curricula like Conscious Discipline to guide our work each day.

Location

If you’ve seen our giant crayons, you’ve found us! We are in the Midtown district of Kansas City at the corner of 31st and Main Streets, underneath the orange radio tower. We are along the 31 Bus Route and the upcoming Streetcar Extension for easy public transportation access. While in the city, our sensory garden and courtyard-style playground provide a natural landscape to explore nature safely.

About our program

At Ability KC, located in Midtown Kansas City, we provide personalized care, foster independence, and nurture social-emotional skills in a natural therapeutic setting. Our focus on each child’s unique needs and development sets us apart, especially for children with special learning needs.

Admissions

We value ensuring we are a match. Our enrollment process may have a few extra steps, but they are to ensure we are providing the right care for your child:

1. Tour our Program Click “Request a Tour” to share available dates and times to see our spaces. We will share more details about the program during this tour.
2. Begin Filling out an Application We will provide you a copy of our enrollment application concluding the tour. Our application can seem extensive due to the care we provide. Please contact [email protected] for questions and [email protected] for support in completing the application.
3. Complete our Screening You will sit down with our Family Engagement & Support Coordinator as well as our Early Intervention Coordinator for us to learn more about your family unit and your child.
4. Complete a classroom observation and any therapy evaluations This is time for the child to interact in our spaces and complete the proper evaluations to receive therapies.

Once accepted, and a spot is identified:

1. Meet with the Teachers This is time to talk with the teachers about cultural importance in your family and begin discussing educational goals you would like to work on.

2. Happy First Day! You will meet with our Office Coordinator and Early Learning Coordinator to walk through the drop-off and pick-off procedures, and make sure your first day goes well!