Blackburn Mentoring works with families on both sides of the state line in Kansas City. Our team is in Los Angeles, and clients in Overland Park, Leawood, Prairie Village and Olathe on the Kansas side, and Brookside, Lee’s Summit and Liberty on the Missouri side, meet one dedicated mentor online every week, scheduled in Central time. We work with high school students and their parents, college students, young adults and professionals.
One metro, two states
Kansas City is unusual: State Line Road runs right through the middle of it, and families on one side and the other share a downtown, a skyline and a set of teams while living under two different state systems. Johnson County, Kansas, is known for large, well-regarded public districts. On the Missouri side, Kansas City proper has a strong independent and parochial school tradition, and suburbs like Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs and Liberty have grown quickly. Many families cross the line every day for work, school or church without thinking about it.
Since we work by video, the state line makes no difference to us. It sometimes matters a lot for planning, though.
When the state line affects the plan
For a high school junior or senior, living in Kansas or Missouri shapes in-state tuition and which public universities feel like the default. Families often compare options across both states and beyond. A mentor is not an admissions counselor, but can help a student organize the search, keep deadlines on track and think clearly about what they actually want, so the decision is theirs and not just a matter of which side of the street they grew up on. See how to prepare a teen for college and how to choose a major.
Life in a spread-out metro
Kansas City covers a lot of ground, and it is very much a driving city. Commutes on I-35, I-435 and US 69 are usually manageable, and many households run on two cars and a full sports schedule. The economy is broad: engineering and architecture firms, financial services, health care, telecommunications, federal offices and the animal health businesses clustered along the I-70 corridor. Barbecue, fountains and fierce loyalty to the local teams round out the picture.
What families here tend to ask for
- A high school student who needs a weekly plan and someone besides a parent to check in with.
- A capable teen who has lost interest and is coasting.
- A student who just got a driver’s license and suddenly has far more freedom than structure.
- A recent graduate back home in Johnson County, unsure of the next step.
Parents of high school students join the intro call, help agree the goals and receive regular progress updates. Our guide on how much independence to give a teenager covers the freedom question in more detail.
College students and young adults
There are colleges and universities on both sides of the line, and the flagship campuses of both states are within driving distance, so many Kansas City students stay in the region while living on their own for the first time. Others head farther. A mentor works with the student by video wherever they are and helps build the routines that campus life does not provide. Young adults building careers in the city come to us for help with a first job, a budget, a move or a career change. See mentoring for college students and young adult mentoring.
Session times
Kansas City, on both sides, is on Central time, two hours ahead of Los Angeles. A 4 pm session after school is 2 pm for the mentor, and evening sessions are easy to schedule. Weather swings hard here, from summer heat to ice storms, but video sessions do not get canceled for either. We schedule in your local time.
Where a mentor helps
Mentors are not tutors, therapists or admissions counselors. They are consistent, practical guides who help people turn goals into weekly steps and follow through. Families with teens usually start with mentoring for high school students. Read how video sessions work on the online mentoring page.
Related
- Online mentoring in St. Louis
- Online mentoring in Denver and Boulder
- Mentoring for families
- How mentoring works
- Online Mentoring in Omaha
Common questions
Do you work with families in both Kansas and Missouri?
Yes. Sessions are by video, so families on either side of State Line Road, or anywhere in the United States, can work with us.
What time zone are Kansas City sessions in?
Central time on both sides of the line. That is two hours ahead of our team in Los Angeles, so after-school and evening times are easy to set.
Do mentors help choose between in-state options in Kansas and Missouri?
Mentors are not admissions counselors, but they help students organize the search, meet deadlines and think through what they want, and can coordinate with a counselor the family already uses.
Get started
Want to talk about a student or young adult in Kansas City? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.