TULSA -- Many parents are concerned about child care if the teacher walkout happens on April 2, so several groups are working to make sure children are taken care of and their parents have options.
The Salvation Army announced that it will open six Boys & Girls Clubs in the Tulsa metro. They will host free childcare camps there for children six to 18 that will last as long as the walkout does.
"We consider this a community crisis," Captain Ken Chapman said, "and we are mobilizing to be able to meet the needs of those people who will have a difficult time if this happens."
Theatre Tulsa also advertised that, in the event of the walkout, it would offer a free Broadway Academy, which would give children a place to be. The class, however, filled up within 24 hours.
"I think Oklahoma's done being in last place and that the community cares about its children," Laura Holton, the education director for Theatre Tulsa, said. "We're going to do what it takes to take care of them."
Students who rely on schools for some of their meals are also a top concern. The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and its volunteers plan to fill the void if they're needed. This includes sending out food trucks and mobile markets to underserved areas.
"We just want to make sure that no child goes hungry," Eileen Bradshaw, the food bank's executive director, said. "This is an important time in their lives. The state budget doesn't have much to do with the fact that they're hungry, so we're going to make sure that they don't suffer the consequences of decisions made out of their realm."
