Overview

Executive Summary

Crosstown Learning Center was established as a childcare center directly supported through the Second Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma in September of 1969. Crosstown provided quality childcare for some of Tulsa’s professional families who at the time worked in downtown Tulsa. In 2000, the board of directors of Crosstown Learning Center filed with the State of Oklahoma to become a non-profit organization.

During Crosstown’s history, the neighborhood in which we were located began to deteriorate. Slowly, our center became more and more dependent on families with children who used DHS subsidies for childcare. As our population began to change, we began the accreditation process and became the first North side childcare center to earn national accreditation through NAEYC (National Association for the Education of the Young Child).

In April of 2004, the old Second Presbyterian Church was closed and the building sold to a new congregation. In June of 2004, the new owners of the building asked Crosstown to find a new home. We began a capital campaign and within a few months, purchased a new (old) church within walking distance of our old facility. We continued to earn capital funds and, in June of 2005, we moved into our new home, debt-free.

Crosstown participates in a collaborative partnership with the University of Oklahoma, College of Pediatric Medicine and is a part of their rotation in child development. We are part of the Community Medicine Summer Institute through OU; we participate in the Promise Neighborhood Initiative through the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Children’s Project as well. We also work with the senior nursing students at Oral Roberts University and have the students in our building for part of their required rotation.

In November of 2011, Crosstown entered into a new collaborative partnership with the State Department of Education and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. This program, “Early Foundations,” is a research –based program that serves children 20 months through 4 years of age that have been diagnosed on the spectrum of autism.

Our goals for the future include continuing our role as a strong anchor in the Tulsa Kendall-Whittier community, beginning plans to provide community resources and social services for our families and neighbors and having opportunities to be a part of childcare initiatives in Oklahoma. More and more, families are depending on childcare institutions to provide quality care for their children as they continue to work and support their families. Our goal at Crosstown is to continue to grow professionally, while providing a loving environment for the children that are entrusted to us each day.