Kids On The Block

Trained puppeteer present performances in elementary schools with child size puppets to teach children what to do in tough life situations and how to get help.
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Additional resources coming soon…

Contact Us

If you are interested in helping bring Kids on the Block puppets to life, contact Carol Sartin, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at 918.699.0535. or email her at CSartin@parentchildcenter.org.
More about this program…

Kids on the Block puppeteer educators teach children how to protect themselves in difficult situations.

Our puppet kids provide a friendly environment that allows children to share their feelings and fears and get answers to their questions.

Meet Our Kids: Joanne, Stephen, Brenda, Nam, Melody, Clare and Eddy
As part of our prevention department the KOB Kids perform to children Pre-K through 5th grade. They perform skits on a variety of topics such as:

Teachers and children trust Kids On The Block to talk truthfully in kid language about tough issues that affect their lives. They tell it like it is with age-appropriate presentations. And it is amazing what a puppet hears. When a child’s hand goes up, a wall comes down and that teachable moment is achieved.

To schedule a Kids on the Block show at your organization, contact Jacqueline Gallegos at 918.699.0550 or email her at JGallegos@parentchildcenter.org.

Kids On The Block, Tulsa Public Schools and the Tulsa Drillers announce partnership

Volunteer Performers Needed!

If you would like to be a KOB Performer, you will need to:

  • Be prepared to have fun!
  • Have a desire to keep children safe, informed and empowered!
  • Attend regular practices
  • Memorize scripts
  • Have a flexible daytime schedule
  • Possess physical stamina (to hold puppets)
  • Enjoy performing
  • Provide your own transportation to and from shows (stipend provided to cover the cost of gas)
  • All volunteers at The Parent Child Center are required to pass a background check.
Working with Kids on the Block means that...
“Every day I have the privilege of teaching kids through the art of puppetry how to stay safe and how bad situations can get better by telling an adult.” – Jacque, KOB Coordinator
Background

Kids on the Block is an educational theatrical presentation utilizing puppets.

KOB started over 33 years ago out of Columbia, Maryland. It is an internationally acclaimed program.
Kids on the Block has 40 programs that help children. The topics include disability awareness/medical,educational differences to social and safety issues.
The Parent Child Center’s KOB programing focuses on social and safety concerns like bullying, physical and sexual abuse, and divorce.

The Japanese Bunraku style of puppetry helps the puppeteer to disappear and the puppets to come alive. This style of puppetry is extremely effective in creating an atmosphere where children feel safe and comfortable asking the puppets questions about the topic after the show.

Kids on the Block performances are not new to Tulsa. Reba Lutton performed in the schools years before Jacqueline Gallegos moved to Tulsa.

In 2005 Gallegos moved to Tulsa and wanted to keep performing KOB shows.
She began in Knoxvillle, Tennessee in 2000 performing all the shows daily, and studying with Aric -James Darroe, president of Kids on the Block, Inc.

Gallegos asked several schools if they had a program and found The Parent Child Center of Tulsa. She soon began volunteering and training others.

In 2008 The Parent Child Center of Tulsa hired Gallegos as their first Kids on the Block coordinator. The program has grown quickly reaching over 15,000 last year.