The next time you see an impeccably groomed dog, it might be the work of a graduate from The Grooming Project, a program founded by Natasha Kirsch.

The Grooming Project is expanding into a new headquarters this year, and just in time: The program received more than three hundred applications but can currently only accommodate fifteen students at a time, Kirsch says.

“We’re renovating a building two doors down from our current location which has triple the square footage,” she says. That means triple the number of students grooming triple the number of animals—plus an on-site doggie daycare. It will help train people in underserved areas for available jobs.

“Our new location will also attract more new clients and business to the east side of Troost, a historically red-lined part of Kansas City,” she says. “At any given point, there are more than one hundred openings for grooming or pet care jobs in Kansas City.”

Most for-profit job-placement organizations charge students for their programs. That’s not so at The Grooming Project, where students are given free tuition and a monthly stipend. Special attention is also paid to outside skills like financial literacy and customer service.

We talked to Kirsch about her work and starting The Grooming Project, her success and the students she’s served around the city.

Source: Natasha Kirsch’s The Grooming Project helps families in KC become self-reliant through pet grooming