Tulsa Public Schools sent families home with free frozen holiday turkeys and hugs from Santa Claus in early December at the Parent Resource Center’s first large community event since completing its remodel.
“It covers everything a family could possibly need for their children,” said Syarra Fisher, a TPS parent.
Fisher and Dustin Shoplick brought four kids ages 7 to 10 to the north Tulsa resource hub for the first time at the “Jingle & Mingle” resource fair. The family ate dinner, connected with three organizations and took home a turkey, which they’ll save for the holidays.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, the center provides a wide array of services by walk-in and appointment to any family in the district. Co-located with North Star Academy, the center hosts 10 partner organizations offering resources for children from infancy to graduation — and support for their parents.
The center first opened six years ago, dreamt up by the North Tulsa Community Education Task Force in 2019. The site offers families diapers and formula, enrollment assistance for health and food programs, connections to parenting resources, career coaching or training and much more.
“Sometimes families run into things that are outside of their control,” said Marla Mayberry, manager of the Parent Resource Center. “So we want them to know that these resources are here, and that they are available for them whenever they need them.”
Years of incremental construction wrapped this summer, using more than $380,000 in federal pandemic funding and bond dollars to transform the former McClain 7th Grade Academy into specialty spaces for partners and families. Mayberry says it’s a “jewel” in north Tulsa.
Last year, the center served 4,331 families and added three new partner organizations. Its back-to-school bash gave away more than $80,000 worth of school supplies and hygiene kits to families. Soap, shampoo and conditioner were big hits, providing everything “kids would need to get up and get dressed and come to school and feel really good about themselves,” Mayberry said.
The center also donated 600 holiday turkeys at eight hub schools in 2024.
Jacquelin Hill’s son attends Celia Clinton Elementary, one of the center’s hub partners. She brought her two boys in an Uber to the holiday resource fair. Her car had been out of commission for a week, and her family is currently staying at a Catholic Charities shelter. But she said the extra transportation expense was worth connecting with resources, the free dinner and take-home turkey.
In the two times she’s visited the center, Hill said everyone “was there with a smile.” The turkey, she said, will be used “resourcefully” as her family navigates homelessness.
“I know I’m struggling,” said Tashawn Owens, who brought her 6-year-old grandson to the fair. “Going to different places that have food giveaways and (resources), it’s been very helpful.”
TPS stations a parent involvement facilitator at every hub school to refer families like Hill’s and Owens’ to the center. Funded by a grant from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the facilitators are trained by child health organization ConnectFirst Tulsa to point parents toward the right services.
The center also hosts events like virtual parent academies in the evenings that address common struggles for local families like building literacy skills and navigating disability accommodations. October’s session attracted 114 parents.
“We just want to provide access to what people need … especially with it being close to the holidays,” said Montell Knauls, the center’s community initiatives coordinator for Madison Strategies Group. MSG is one of the Parent Resource Center’s newest partner organizations. It provides job search support like interview prep and one-on-one career coaching.
Even with six years active in north Tulsa and thousands of dollars in construction costs, Mayberry says it’s a “real challenge” to get the word out about the center.
Getting families help “depends on how much people take advantage,” said Genean Stuttley, family liaison with the Tulsa Health Department and ConnectFirst. “And how honest they are about what they need — sometimes pride can get in the way.”
The center, at 525 E. 46th St. N., will remain open through Dec. 19 and reopen Jan. 5. A full list of offerings and links to appointments can be found here.
The Parent Resource Center receives funding from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which also contributed financially to the Tulsa Flyer.
News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
