Jul 10 2025 - Dec 11 2025
MOMS’ MORNING OUT
Denny's in Merriam
MPE History
In the fall of 1986, a group of 17 homeschool families gathered to provide encouragement and fellowship for one another. This was the beginning of the Johnson County Parent Educators (JCPE). In late 2001, the JCPE membership voted to change the organization’s name to Midwest Parent Educators (MPE).
JCPE/MPE has experienced growth commensurate with that of the homeschooling movement nationally. We serve homeschoolers in the greater Kansas City metro area, including many from Wyandotte, Miami, and Douglas counties in Kansas and from counties in Kansas City, Missouri.
Homeschool History in the Kansas City Area
Did you know it was once a huge risk to homeschool in the Kansas City area?
“In the early 1980s, a school district charged the Sawyer family with truancy even though they had formally withdrawn their children to open a non-accredited private school in their home.”
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to early homeschool pioneers, some of whom share their stories in the video below!
Board of Directors
MPE has incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and has adopted official by-laws. Midwest Parent Educators is governed by a board, from which an executive committee of officers is chosen. Husband and wife serve as one member of the board, with each family unit receiving one vote. All members of the Board of Directors must agree to endorse and support MPE’s Mission Statement and Statement of Faith (listed in the official by-laws).
The 2024 – July 31, 2025 members of the Board of Directors are:
| Herb and Jenny Albertson, Vice President | Yasha and Lian Lange, Executive Director |
| Robert and Susan Brown | Larry and Jennifer Laporte |
| Jason and Emily Cowden | Robert and Jennifer Simmons, President |
| Brian and Martha Gilley, Secretary | Chad and Michelle Womble, Immediate Past President |
| Kelley and Jennifer Ireland | TBD, Treasurer |
| Kris and Carissa Jones |
The MPE Homeschool Conference
The Midwest Parent Educators Conference and Curriculum Fair began as a joint effort between Families for Home Education (FHE) and JCPE. It was originally called the MO-KAN Conference and began in 1992. Since 1994, the conference has been sponsored solely by MPE. The goal of the conference is to provide families with motivation and tools for continuing the home education process.
Well-known speakers from across the nation are brought to Kansas City for the conference each spring. Over 180 vendors participate in the curriculum fair, and multiple workshops are offered to address issues facing homeschooling families. The conference has an average attendance of over 2500 people.
The Office
A part-time office manager works several hours per week in the office. Hours are posted each week on the office phone at 913-599-0311.
Other Activities
Members of MPE receive 6 issues of a newsletter, The Parent Educator, each year. Each issue contains news of events, classes, and activities of interest to homeschoolers. MPE also sponsors several support group meetings each school year. Seniors of those families who have been members of MPE for at least two years may participate in an inspirational high school graduation ceremony in the spring.
