New program in Kansas hopes to K.E.E.P. kids living below the poverty line in school

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new program in Kansas hopes to keep kids in school.

Families can get as much as $1,000. The new program is called KEEP.

The Kansas Educational Enrichment Program is designed to help lower-income families get help for their kids as they return to school.

“The purpose of this program is really about access, making sure that every student, no matter their parents’ income situation, no matter their economic standing, has access to the same tools in the same opportunities across the state that everyone has the same things," Merit Vice President Mike Murphy said.

The money can be used in a lot of different ways.

“Things like tutoring, after-school camps, musical instrument lessons, language classes," Murphy said.

Even classroom supplies and laptops are included.

Eligible students are between the ages of five and 18 in Kansas whose families are 300% under the poverty line. That's about $90,000 a year for a family of four in Kansas.

Murphy says it's a huge boost to families that help ensure kids succeed in school.

Kansas foster students and families on SNAP benefits also qualify.
Learn more about the program at keep.ks.gov.

KMBC is also looking to help foster kids in the area this fall.

Disclaimer: This originally appeared on KMBC, read it here.