The Opportunity Project has teamed up with the Tulsa Area United Way (TAUW) and Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) to provide, among other things, childcare assistance during COVID relief and more for families and children affected by the pandemic. Together, the organizations have partnered to refine and launch a citywide online portal designed to both connect families to childcare and basic needs, as well as provide a way for community members to donate critical resources.
The site, COVIDKidCareResources.tauw.org, will launch on Wednesday, August 12.
By partnering together, the groups have developed a repository where businesses and community groups can share details of support options, care sites, food, and other donations. Using the COVIDKidCareResources.tauw.org portal, families can connect with important resources and locate services near them.
When it came to identifying the need for resources, Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent, Deborah Gist said, “We know that this time is challenging for all of our families and students, and those families who are already furthest away from opportunity are at additional risk when school buildings are closed. Having the community come together in a collective effort to ensure families have options for care and students have access to high quality learning opportunities, meals, and distance learning support, is critically important. The COVID Kid Care portal meets that need, and we are extraordinarily grateful to The Opportunity Project and the Tulsa Area United Way for stepping up – yet again – to fill a critical need in our community.”
The COVID Kid Care Portal was modeled after the highly successful online platform the United Way created and curated during the 2018 teacher walkout. Alison Anthony, TAUW, says, “This tool is critically needed now. We are thrilled that The Opportunity Project has teamed up with us to manage these resources to serve individuals and families as quickly as possible.”
The Opportunity Project is providing a dedicated Project Manager to oversee the effort, providing families a single stop to access resources with ease. By gathering information from community members, businesses, partner agencies, and others, COVIDKidCareResources.tauw.org will link families and youth directly to resources for basic needs, child care, and more. It will also include available distance learning support, care, and enrichment for young people.
Caroline Shaw, Executive Director of The Opportunity Project said, “We are proud to partner with the Tulsa Area United Way and Tulsa Public Schools in service of Tulsa families during this unprecedented time. This community-wide effort will allow the most vulnerable youth and families to be connected with critical services.”
“We would like to thank The Ed Darby Foundation and The George Kaiser Family Foundation for their support of this effort, allowing us to launch this portal quickly. With their assistance, we will be able to ease the burden so many are facing during this time,” says Shaw.
For more information about this citywide resource and how to access information, such as childcare assistance during COVID, please visit COVIDKidCareResources.tauw.org.