Saying it will increase funding opportunities and provide efficiency, board members for two Lawrence nonprofit early education organizations announced a merger Thursday.

The Brookcreek Learning Center will consolidate with Ballard Community Services on Sept. 1.

Board members said it will allow the combined agency to serve 121 children and their families, as no major changes in services at either place are expected.

Dianne Ensminger, chief executive officer of Ballard Community Services, said all Brookcreek’s full- and part-time staff, including a program director, will stay there, and more full-time staff members will be hired.

“We’re not going to make any major changes,” she said.

In operation for two decades, Brookcreek serves 63 children and operates sites at 200 Mount Hope Court and another at Lawrence High School. It provides an early education program for children to develop skills for learning and social interactions.

Ballard Community Services was formerly the Ballard Community Center. It operates at the former Lincoln School in North Lawrence. Ballard also provides an early education program and other programs, such as food, rent and utility assistance.

Ballard also operates Penn House, 1035 Pa., and the Emergency Services Council.

Ensminger said the consolidation will allow Ballard to offer social services to families at Brookcreek. The early education curriculum will also become standardized, she said.

Dennis Garrison, chairman of the Brookcreek board, called it a huge step forward for preschool education in Lawrence.

“We will have more grants available to us, which will allow us to provide a more comprehensive educational experience for our children,” he said in a statement about the consolidation.

Esther Kottwitz, a longtime Brookcreek executive director who resigned in May to pursue another career path, said she hoped Brookcreek’s history as a nonprofit for early intervention services would not be lost.

“The focus on what it’s going to be is fine, but we also have the opportunity to show appreciation for what it was,” she said.

Both organizations are supported by the United Way of Douglas County, and Ballard Community Services receives funding from the Douglas County Community Foundation. Both indicated support for the merger.

The name of the Brookcreek sites will also remain the same, Ensminger said. Three Brookcreek board members will join the Ballard board.