Martha and Mary to take over North Kitsap Kids program

"POULSBO - The North Kitsap School District before and after-school care program, known as NK Kids, will be taken over by Martha and Mary beginning Jan. 3. The school district had been operating the program at the beginning of the school year after the previous provider, Children's Learning Center by Aarmark Corporation, had decided not to continue. After a search for another company, they settled on Martha and Mary. We are committed to doing whatever we can to serve the needs of the community, said Joanna Carlson, Martha and Mary's children's service administrator. And certainly this is one of the things important to us - child care. The rates parents have been paying for the program will not increase this year, Carlson said. In fact, parents will see very few changes, if any. The program will remain open on days with no school, with the exception of President's and Memorial Day. Martha and Mary went to all the employees of the program (there are about 15) and asked if they wanted to continue when Martha and Mary took over. Carlson said. Any employees who wanted to stay were kept. Mostly what we're looking to do is maintain the program as it's been, Carlson said. We want to keep it comfortable for the parents. Keeping previous staff members on staff is a part of that, Carlson said. Every site has at least one employee who was there at the beginning of the year, she said. The others moved from other children's services at Martha and Mary. NK Kids serves about 170 kids who attend North Kitsap schools. They are dropped off before or after school, often by parents who work early or late. The program has room for 190 students among the seven schools it serves. The program is held at every elementary school in the district. "

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.