
KU Academy students start each morning with enrichment
Students at Kids Unlimited Academy have the earliest start to the school year locally but the latest start to the school day.
The public charter school, in its third year operating on a year-round academic calendar, shifted school start times 30 minutes later to 9 a.m. The change is intended to decrease tardiness, ease families’ transportation to school and allow more time each morning for classroom preparedness. The 2024-24 school year started Aug. 7.
“I think it’s more of the routines and expectations,” said KUA Director of Educational Services Lupita Vargas.
Arriving more than an hour early for school is the goal for KUA students, all of whom receive breakfast each school day. During “morning enrichment” from 7:30 to 9 a.m., students participate in academic-focused activities, along with movement and mindfulness. The schedule is designed for working families, said Vargas, who utilize KUA’s extended day in lieu of child care.
“Our doors are still open at 7:30,” said Vargas. “We’re just offering activities that kids can plug into.
“Third through fifth will be able to sign up for specific clubs that include robotics, print shop, KUA-TV, and the lower grades will be on a rotation that includes movement, arts and crafts,” said Vargas.
Dance, martial arts, yoga, math and literacy games and Spanish language are some of KUA’s other enrichment options. Students have the option to attend morning enrichment, which is not tied to academic standards.
KU founder Tom Cole characterizes morning enrichment as a “buffer” between home and school life. “Creating a welcoming transition,” the period allows staff to “meet and greet” students, who are more capable of calming down and settling into the school day. The enrichment block, he added, takes into account the realities of many KUA families’ dynamics, which include obstacles to attending school.
The move to push school start times later in the morning is gaining momentum nationally. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine all advocate later school start times as students around the country — adolescents and teens, in particular — struggle to get adequate sleep. Benefits to later school start times, according to the APA, are: increased attendance rates, decrease in disciplinary action, increase in students’ GPA and increase in state assessment scores.
Also a key factor in KUA students’ growth on state assessments is the school’s year-round calendar. KUA in 2021 became Oregon’s first public school to expand its academic calendar to 11 months.
“We thought it was the responsible thing to do,” said Cole. “The ‘summer slide’ … has become far worse than a slide.”
Summer’s lost learning that educators long decried was exacerbated, Cole said, by the coronavirus pandemic, which laid bare deficiencies not only in education but in vital services to children in need. KUA’s board voted to extend the academic calendar, a move overwhelmingly supported by families.
Nearly all of KUA’s 514 students experience poverty, and approximately 70% are from Latinx households. Every KUA student is eligible for free breakfast, lunch and dinner on site, and the majority of students obtain most of their daily nutrition at school.
The extended academic calendar, said Cole, addresses students’ “social, emotional and physical needs year-round.”
“We’re open when no one else is.”
KUA formed as a Medford public charter school in 2013. KU added its pre-K program in 2019.
Dates to remember
Oct. 10: KU Academy Site Council meeting, 5-6 p.m. (in person)
Oct. 25: Royal Kids Theatre dinner theater musical
Oct. 29: KU Academy Board meeting, 7:30 a.m.,
Carrico Center
Oct. 31: KU Academy
Trunk-or-Treat
We’re celebrating 25 years of youth development. Pledging your support helps us reach the next milestone.
A gift of just $25 provides a student’s uniform for Kids Unlimited Academy, fills a desk with school supplies or purchases an entire week of school lunches. It’s generosity that makes an impact all year!
Donate $250 to sponsor a class field trip, plant our school garden or fire our ceramics kiln. Contributions of $2,500 support our sports teams and boost our scholarship fund for graduating high school seniors.
Make it a recurring donation, and you help make the Unlimited possible!
KU Media Team
Designer: Kevin Williams
Writer/Editor: Sarah Lemon
Photos: Alondra Magana
Italian cuisine and characters season annual dinner theater
The appeal of Italian food is no mystery. But the cuisine makes the perfect backdrop for Royal Kids Theatre’s fall whodunnit.
“Mamma Mia! The Secret of the Spoon” is planned for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25. Tickets are $20, all-inclusive and must be purchased by Oct. 18.
With their three-course dinners, audiences will get a taste of Kids Unlimited’s next youth entrepreneurial project and its culinary focus. “Mamma Mia! The Secret of the Spoon” satisfies theater goers’ appetites for both mystery and comedy while the KU Food Program serves a meal to savor.
“I chose it because I thought the theme worked perfectly, said BriAnna Johnson, music and theater teacher at Kids Unlimited Academy.
Set in the family-owned restaurant Mamma Mia’s, the show centers around the death of 98-year-old matriarch Nonni Pastalucci and the disappearance of her very special spoon. The Pastaluccis find themselves in hot water as they accuse one another of stealing, hiding or misplacing the spoon — believed to be the key to Nonni’s famous tiramisu. Will they find it before dessert is served?
As characters search and speculate, the cast indulges in delicious food-themed puns and outrageous Italian accents all while serving guests at the Pastaluccis’ successful eatery. Pasta shapes inspire characters’ names from Eddy Spaghetti and Lucia Linguine to Angelia Rotini and Sophia Tortellini.
The cast of “Mamma Mia! The Secret of the Spoon” includes KUA fifth graders Eleanor Goar, Fernanda Velez, Kimberly Valle Cortez, Alex Cortes-Quezada and Mia Russell; fourth graders Xavier Bautista, Valentina Mejia-Medina, Willow Moore, Marina Sanchez and Austyn Souza; and third grader Luis Alcantara.
Purchase tickets at kuaoregon.org/tickets and click over to kuoregon.org/donate to support our enrichment programs in the arts.

Edith Vargas
Oak Grove Site Manager, Kids Unlimited Afterschool Program
The oldest of five, Edith Vargas assumed responsibility for supervising kids after school while she was still an adolescent.
That lived experience and a senior project focused on children propelled Vargas into work with Kids Unlimited’s Afterschool Program. After two years as support staff at KU’s Roosevelt Elementary program site, Vargas entered a new role this fall as site manager of KU Afterschool at Oak Grove Elementary. The change came with twice the number of students — and a larger facility.
“I like the playground first of all; it’s really big,” said Vargas, a 23-year-old graduate of Phoenix High School.
The original site of KU Afterschool when the organization was founded in 1998, Oak Grove enrolls more Spanish-speaking students than some of KU’s other program sites, said Vargas. She and two other KU staff on site speak Spanish. Oak Grove’s teachers, she said, also are very communicative with her and other KU staff.
Among Vargas’ duties is providing homework packets for students who don’t have regularly assigned homework and assisting students’ learning. Ninety minutes of homework help has been a key component of KU Afterschool since its inception.
Second grade, said Vargas, when the math is simple and the students know the basics of English language is her preferred age. Hanging out with kids who are coloring, however, is Vargas’ favorite activity.
“It brings out my inner child; it feels like I’m one of them.”
Pre-KU learning expands in new White City center
Art, drama, science, math and reading — all are close at hand for preschool students at Kids Unlimited’s new Early Learning Center in White City.
Approximately three times larger than KU’s former preschool about two miles away, Pre-KU Early Learning integrates spaces for art, library, circle time, dramatic play and sensory exploration in every classroom. Previously, those developmental domains were shared among preschool classes, allowing less time for each of those activities and requiring more transitions from space to space, which is challenging for young children, said Pre-KU staff.
“Now we have the room for all the activity centers,” said Mendy Hellmann, KU Director of Early Learning. “It allows their routine to flow a lot better.”
Pre-KU’s four classes each have 18 students and three staff. With 72 students and 20 total staff, Pre-KU’s ratio is far better than the state requirement of 10 children in this age group per staff member.
Staffing also is more consistent since the consolidation of KU’s Central Point and Medford preschool sites. Previously, Pre-KU staff filled in as needed between the two program sites, and camps were consolidated at the Medford campus, where students encountered a lot of new faces, said Betty Goodson, Pre-KU site manager. Now parents and students see the same face, Jose Jimenez, at the reception desk every morning, said Goodson.
“I think it’s more comforting for the children and the parents.”
Pre-KU also gained its own kitchen at the new facility, which opened Aug. 19. Previously transported from KU’s central kitchen in Medford, the food has improved in quality, and the kids’ appetites are enhanced when they smell their breakfast and lunch cooking, said Goodson.
KU’s Early Learning Center has the capacity to increase enrollment by at least 18 students in 2025-26. More than 75% of students are enrolled through Oregon’s Preschool Promise. Pre-KU also accepts Employment Related Day Care subsidies for qualifying families, as well as private pay. Pre-enrollment is available online.
Alumni Achievement
Vanessa Lim is a Kids Unlimited Academy graduate who attended St. Mary’s School on a full scholarship. And her full ride didn’t stop at Medford’s private Catholic high school. Lim has just embarked on her first year at California’s Stanford University, which is footing the bill.
“I ended up applying to 32 colleges (I don’t recommend it) … but I didn’t match to any of the 15 schools I selected. I kept pushing and … was accepted to University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business with a presidential scholarship (half ride) and extra financial aid. Around the same time, I became a Stamp Scholar at University of Oregon with a full ride and an additional $12,000 for enrichment.
“Then March came, and more acceptances started rolling in from schools like New York University, University of Virginia and University of Washington. Honestly, I was set on going to U of O until my last decision came in. I had zero expectations, but to my complete surprise, I was accepted to Stanford University with full financial aid.”
At Stanford, Lim is studying management science and engineering with a minor in economics. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree or dive straight into the job market, hopefully in investment banking or consulting. Her ultimate dream is to own her own business someday.
“To all the KUA students reading this, just know that nothing is impossible,” said Lim. “With the right mindset and work ethic, you can carve out your own path. Take risks, stay curious and remember that a grade doesn’t define you. Your actions and how you bounce back do.
“Don’t let fear or doubt hold you back from chasing what might seem like a crazy dream. You owe it to yourself to try.”
Lim’s parents, immigrants from Indonesia, never went to college, and the financial burden of her own higher education constantly weighed on Lim’s mind. She had no knowledge of the application processes or how to access resources. Navigating the journey mostly on her own with some help from an “incredible” college counselor, Lim said she spent countless hours researching scholarships and universities with the simple goal of just going for her dream. She attributes that value to her time at KUA.
“KUA was a community that nurtured my curiosity and drive. From eating in the gym because there was no cafeteria, to seeing the new green field when we came back from winter break, KUA embodied perseverance and hope. It’s a place that teaches you that no matter how small the chance or how tough the road, you just have to keep going.
“Thank you, KUA, for being the foundation of my journey and for showing me what’s possible.”

Vanessa Lim
New Food Program balances health, flavor with fewer government restrictions
Kids Unlimited’s new initiative to improve school meals puts more locally grown foods on students plates while strengthening community connections.
KU’s Food Program adopted a hybrid model for the 2024-25 school year, which sheds much of the program’s reliance on government reimbursements and paves the way for accepting more donations of locally grown produce and locally raised meats. The change also has reduced waste from KU Academy breakfast and lunch because students no longer are required to take milk they weren’t drinking.
“We saw an abundance of waste while not being able to serve kids who were still hungry,” said KU founder and CEO Tom Cole. “It felt like a moral dilemma, really, about why we even created the Food Program.”
KU has operated its own meal service independent of Medford School District’s outside contractor for the past decade. The system allowed KU kitchen staff to cook meals from scratch with fresh ingredients, provided those ingredients and the resulting portion sizes conformed to regulations for schools’ reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program.
Under KU’s new model, just four out of 15 meals each week come with milk. All KUA students still are eligible for free breakfast, lunch and dinner because of the school’s high poverty level.
“There were some health contradictions to the formula,” said Cole, referencing the infrequency of milk consumption in traditional Latino culture.
KU also aims to create more cultural connectivity in its daily meals for the approximately 70% of students who are of Latino ethnicity, most of them with family roots in Mexico. KU Food Program staff prepare traditional Mexican recipes, including enchiladas, pozole and tacos, adapted to include more vegetables and fiber and less fat. Those complement other global flavors, like Thai, and such American mainstays as spaghetti, roast beef and turkey, mashed potatoes and cheeseburgers.
KU Chef Nathan Herbold characterizes his efforts as a “balance of nutrition and flavor” that has dramatically reduced the amount of trash after each school meal service. The government’s school nutrition program, he said, doesn’t really analyze consumption, and that’s where it fails students.
“I’m making the food out of love.”
Relationships with local farms and ranches are another KU priority. While reducing reliance on some types of government reimbursements, KU also applied for and received Oregon Department of Education funds to purchase more ingredients directly from farms in Jackson County and elsewhere in the state. The approach builds on KU’s history of collaboration with Fry Family, Rusted Gate and Ella Bella farms, as well as Salant Family and Plaisance ranches. Rogue Valley Farm to School helps to facilitate wholesaling and deliveries to local schools.
KU’s Food Program innovation requires more community support, including donations of food and funds. Check out the quarterly menu at kuaoregon.org/menu and click over to KU’s donation page to pledge your support for wholesome food.
New Food Program balances health, flavor with fewer government restrictions
Kids Unlimited’s new initiative to improve school meals puts more locally grown foods on students plates while strengthening community connections.
KU’s Food Program adopted a hybrid model for the 2024-25 school year, which sheds much of the program’s reliance on government reimbursements and paves the way for accepting more donations of locally grown produce and locally raised meats. The change also has reduced waste from KU Academy breakfast and lunch because students no longer are required to take milk they weren’t drinking.
“We saw an abundance of waste while not being able to serve kids who were still hungry,” said KU founder and CEO Tom Cole. “It felt like a moral dilemma, really, about why we even created the Food Program.”
KU has operated its own meal service independent of Medford School District’s outside contractor for the past decade. The system allowed KU kitchen staff to cook meals from scratch with fresh ingredients, provided those ingredients and the resulting portion sizes conformed to regulations for schools’ reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program.
Under KU’s new model, just four out of 15 meals each week come with milk. All KUA students still are eligible for free breakfast, lunch and dinner because of the school’s high poverty level.
“There were some health contradictions to the formula,” said Cole, referencing the infrequency of milk consumption in traditional Latino culture.
KU also aims to create more cultural connectivity in its daily meals for the approximately 70% of students who are of Latino ethnicity, most of them with family roots in Mexico. KU Food Program staff prepare traditional Mexican recipes, including enchiladas, pozole and tacos, adapted to include more vegetables and fiber and less fat. Those complement other global flavors, like Thai, and such American mainstays as spaghetti, roast beef and turkey, mashed potatoes and cheeseburgers.
KU Chef Nathan Herbold characterizes his efforts as a “balance of nutrition and flavor” that has dramatically reduced the amount of trash after each school meal service. The government’s school nutrition program, he said, doesn’t really analyze consumption, and that’s where it fails students.
“I’m making the food out of love.”
Relationships with local farms and ranches are another KU priority. While reducing reliance on some types of government reimbursements, KU also applied for and received Oregon Department of Education funds to purchase more ingredients directly from farms in Jackson County and elsewhere in the state. The approach builds on KU’s history of collaboration with Fry Family, Rusted Gate and Ella Bella farms, as well as Salant Family and Plaisance ranches. Rogue Valley Farm to School helps to facilitate wholesaling and deliveries to local schools.
KU’s Food Program innovation requires more community support, including donations of food and funds. Check out the quarterly menu at kuaoregon.org/menu and click over to KU’s donation page to pledge your support for wholesome food.
Annual report available online
In recognition of Kids Unlimited’s 25 years of youth development, we celebrated in 2023! Our participants, families and supporters came together not only for special events but also under new initiatives to enhance family engagement and emphasize our organization’s commitment to the highest quality education and life-changing outcomes for kids. Read in our 2023 annual report how KU is shaping the next quarter-century of empowerment through opportunity.
Read or download the report here.
National wireless company honors KU as a ‘Difference Maker’
Southern Oregon’s largest youth development organization is making a difference. An award from T-Mobile brings recognition of Kids Unlimited’s mission to the company’s nationwide platforms.
KU hosted representatives from T-Mobile Sept. 4 on its Medford campus for a donation presentation. KU was the only Oregon organization selected in T-Mobile’s latest round of Difference Maker Award recipients in the company’s Mountain West area. The recognition comes with a $10,000 donation to KU from T-Mobile.
“T-Mobile’s Difference Maker Award is a quarterly recognition program the Un-carrier started in 2023 to recognize top-ranked employees in business performance areas across the company,” said Lyssa Hansen, senior communications manager.
The Difference Maker Award incentivizes staff in all T-Mobile stores, call centers, virtual retail and even its technical engineering, said Derrick Seay, T-Mobile rural market manager. As part of the initiative, T-Mobile employees select nonprofit organizations they are most passionate about — five total award recipients per area — pledge a total of $50,000 in donations and participate in a day of service. T-Mobile is based in Bellevue, Wash.
T-Mobile’s recognition of KU builds on their existing partnership for the annual Southern Oregon Open benefit basketball tournament in Medford. T-Mobile has sponsored the event’s free-throw contest since 2022.
Other organizations who received awards in T-Mobile’s Mountain West area are Canines with a Cause in Salt Lake City, Faces of Hope in Meridian, Idaho, and Idaho Humane Society and Ronald McDonald House, both in Boise. So far this year, T-Mobile employees have provided funding to organizations across Colorado, California, Hawaii and Washington.
Summer camp
Summer travels took Kids Unlimited campers, metaphorically, to every continent.
KU’s around-the-world theme was so popular last year that it returned for 2024. Over eight weeks between June and August, campers explored Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia and Oceania, even Antarctica with activities, craft projects and preparing international recipes. Local excursions included trips to Wildlife Images in Grants Pass, ScienceWorks in Ashland and Rogue X Community Complex in Medford.
Summer has been synonymous with KU camp for thousands of Southern Oregon families over the past 25 years. About 331 kindergarten through fifth graders from Phoenix, Talent, Medford and Central Point participated in this year’s session, popular for its water play, field trips, outdoor games and creative projects. Designed to meet working families’ schedules from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., KU camps are based at Medford’s Jackson and Jefferson elementary schools.
Registration starts in the spring, and there’s often a waiting list, with many families who rely upon camp returning year after year. Camp costs $150 per week, and donations to KU support scholarships for participants.
Summer camp
Summer travels took Kids Unlimited campers, metaphorically, to every continent.
KU’s around-the-world theme was so popular last year that it returned for 2024. Over eight weeks between June and August, campers explored Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia and Oceania, even Antarctica with activities, craft projects and preparing international recipes. Local excursions included trips to Wildlife Images in Grants Pass, ScienceWorks in Ashland and Rogue X Community Complex in Medford.
Summer has been synonymous with KU camp for thousands of Southern Oregon families over the past 25 years. About 331 kindergarten through fifth graders from Phoenix, Talent, Medford and Central Point participated in this year’s session, popular for its water play, field trips, outdoor games and creative projects. Designed to meet working families’ schedules from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., KU camps are based at Medford’s Jackson and Jefferson elementary schools.
Registration starts in the spring, and there’s often a waiting list, with many families who rely upon camp returning year after year. Camp costs $150 per week, and donations to KU support scholarships for participants.
Who we are
Through empowering educational opportunities, Kids Unlimited prepares and inspires children to better themselves while bettering their communities.
KU’s focus on achieving equity for youth who face economic and cultural barriers forges their path toward high school graduation, college success and career readiness. KU makes these goals reasonable for all students — regardless of race, language, ethnicity, gender, economic status or zip code.
The longevity of KU’s relationships with kids not only builds student confidence but also strengthens families. Ours is a comprehensive and holistic approach to programming and services — proven over decades of listening, learning and evolving.
- Nearly all KU participants experience poverty.
- More than 70% are from Latino households, 56% of those non-English speaking.
- Nearly one-third of students attending KUA academies are designated migrant.
What we do
- Serve kids year-round, bridging school, afterschool and summer services.
- Bring afterschool programs to eight of the highest poverty elementary schools in our region.
- Operate a public charter school recognized by Oregon Department of Education among the most diverse public schools in our state.
- Elevate the region’s pre-K options with our focus on kindergarten readiness, socio-emotional development and hands-on, active learning, as well as wraparound support for families.
- Offer 10-hour structured school days that focus on increased instructional time and embedded enrichments in arts, music, culinary, sports and other programming often economically out of reach for our families.
- Employ highly qualified, diverse teaching staff, many bilingual, who offer culturally competent programming.
- Provide thousands of meals each day, all cooked from scratch, often incorporating locally sourced produce and proteins.
- Leverage youth sports programs as incentives for academic achievement, known as “pass to play.”
Why we need you
Kids Unlimited is a nonprofit organization that relies on foundation grants, private donations, business sponsorships, community partnerships and government allocations. KU is and always has been committed to cultivating relationships that can financially sustain our programs.
Offering “free” services removes our participants’ economic and cultural barriers to ensure their access and equity. There’s no magic formula for sustaining our model. But we know when we do meaningful work and achieve desired outcomes, we secure a following that generates funding.