Support Kid's Inc.

Whereas, the City of Woodward has full authority to control or assign the Woodward Youth Sports Complex (AKA, Kid’s Incorporated facilities), the City Commission has assigned that authority and control to the Kid’s Incorporated Board of Directors for the past 64 years.

We believe that the Kid’s Incorporated programs have been phenomenally successful and urge the City Commissioners to continue to place their good faith in the Kid’s Incorporated Board of Directors. The Board believes that recent changes in the assignment of authority and control have put the mission of Kid’s Incorporated at risk.

Mission Statement: Kid’s Incorporated was started in 1948 as a program which welcomes ALL individuals with no regard to economic status. Kid’s Incorporated was founded on and has always operated under two basic philosophies. First, every child gets to participate, regardless of ability. Second, family time would always be held at a premium and activities would be scheduled to minimize interference with other family activities. Kid’s Incorporated is open year round for kids of all ages to take advantage of its facilities free of charge. All sports, including football, have all of the equipment furnished. This philosophy has resulted in a long standing Woodward institution that the citizens of Woodward can view with pride.

In 2006, the City Commissioners requested that the Kid’s Incorporated Board endorse the improvements and additional constructions proposed by the Crystal Beach Renovation Bond Issue. The Board of Directors expressed apprehension to endorse the project due to fear of changes in the operations of Kid’s Incorporated programs; however, the Board decided to provide their endorsement of the project after the City Commissioners gave assurances that no changes of operations would occur after the passing of the proposal.

The City, since that time, has removed the Kid’s Incorporated Board’s authority as follows:
The City has rescinded the option for the Kid’s Incorporated Board of Directors to enter into a lease of the property for a five-year term with the right of renewal. Currently, the City of Woodward will only offer a two-hundred-day user’s agreement. In the past, Kid’s Incorporated has planned and scheduled for upcoming programs for at least a year in advance. Without a long-term lease, Kid’s Incorporated is not guaranteed the use of the facilities for even one planning period for all of the seasonal sports programs offered annually to the community’s youth.

The City has removed Kid’s Inc.’s authority to schedule utilization of the facilities by Kid’s Incorporated programs or any other parties. Kid’s Incorporated has in the past scheduled its youth activities on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The City has reduced Kid’s Incorporated utilization of the facilities to only Mondays and Thursdays unless a conflict occurs in which one or more of those days may then also be eliminated by the City. Limiting the number of days for Kid’s Incorporated programs will jeopardize the mission of Kid’s Incorporated to provide every child the opportunity to participate in the offered sports activities AND hold family time and activities at a premium. The Board of Director’s believes that the limited times allowed for utilization of the facilities will force the participants to choose between practicing for games, playing in games and spending quality time with their families. Limiting the number of days for Kid’s Incorporated programs puts the two basic philosophies of our mission statement in conflict.

In the past, the Kid’s Incorporated Director, under the guidance of the Board of Directors, has scheduled the use of the facilities by Kid’s Incorporated programs and other programs, such as area high school athletic teams, OK Kids, Babe Ruth, NOSA, and other independent traveling teams. While Kid’s Incorporated programs have always had first priority, the Board always aimed to provide fair consideration to other programs.

A full-time maintenance person has been removed from the Kid’s Incorporated staff. Without direct influence over maintenance, the Board of Directors has lost its privilege to maintain the grounds and fears the resulting deterioration of the facilities will prove, in time, to be unsafe for the community’s youth.

The Board of Director’s no longer has the authority to supervise the Kid’s Incorporated Director and Assistant Director. The Director and Assistant director are currently supervised by the City. Without direct authority over daily operations, the Board of Directors has limited power to maintain our goal to provide the community’s youth equal and fair opportunity to partake in sport activities.

We believe our programs are exceptional and have stood the test of time because we welcome ALL individuals with no regard to economic status or perceived physical ability. Therefore, we believe that Kid’s Incorporated programs should have priority for the scheduling of the facilities. However, we believe in the value of all team athletics in the molding and rearing of our youth and can assure the City Commission that other organizations and leagues will, as always, have opportunity and access to all the facilities administered by the Kid’s Incorporated Board of Directors.