Owasso Public Schools Now Offering Before and After Care for Students

Owasso Public Schools now offers before and after care for its students. The program gives working parents an option for an earlier drop-off and later pickup during the school year.  

The program is called SPARK, which stands for "Supplemental Programs and Activities for Ram Kids." 

Melissa Zumwalt is the Program Director. She said the district had hired Owasso teachers, and even students, to supervise kids before and after school.  

"We've partnered with the high school to do their internship program,” Zumwalt said. “So some of our kids are even getting credit for working for us and getting paid at the same time."  

Parents or teachers with kids in the district can drop them off starting at 7:00 in the morning. After class, kids can stay at school until 6:00 in the evening.  Right now, about 400 students are enrolled, and Zumwalt said there is room for more. 

"Some of our sites are already full so, but we have the capacity to grow,” she said. “We want to engage with as many children as possible and provide this service to our families. 

Maranda Figueroa said having the option to bring her daughter, Ivy, to aftercare has given her busy family some back-to-school stability.  

"Usually every year, there's the game of trying to piece together aftercare and before care whose gonna pick her up? Adjusting work schedules, but now, she just gets to stay at school and play with her friends,” Figueroa said.  

For more information about the SPARK program, click here.