Hartselle faces daycare, after-school program closures

In recent weeks, multiple daycares and after-school programs across Hartselle have announced closures, leaving families scrambling for alternatives for their children’s care and after-school activities.  

Several longstanding daycare centers and after-school facilities have cited staffing shortages, rising operational costs and increased demand for services as reasons behind their closures. The Osborne Warren Oden Recreational Center is among the closures. The OWO offered an after-school program and summer day camp for children ages five to 12.  

Opening in 2005, the OWO closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening in 2024.  

“Prior to Covid the programs offered by the OWO were self-supporting. Once it reopened, the costs associated with its operations increased leaving us with no choice except to close. It is a decision that was not made lightly,” a Dec. 20 statement by the Hartselle Housing Authority read.  

Kids Kastle on Corsbie Street also closed its doors this past Friday. It was a family-owned and operated business that offered childcare for children from six weeks old to 12. Kids Kastle provided their services to 100 children.  

WeeCare, the daycare school at Danville Baptist Church will close the day after Memorial Day. It has been in operation for more than 40 years.  

In a statement on Facebook made Jan. 7, the church said a rise in the costs of building upkeep, insurance and the cost of living for employees lead to the decision to close WeeCare.  

In response to the closures, local business owner Charles Owens, who operates JMK Martial Arts, has stepped up to fill the void by launching a new after-school program. 

Owens, a Hartselle resident and owner of JMK Martial Arts, recognized the need for an alternative. The program will be held at his martial arts center on Corsbie Street which already offers classes in martial arts, fitness and self-defense. The after-school program will offer students a safe environment, physical activity and character-building lessons. 

Owens said the after-school martial arts and fitness program has been a long-term goal, but the business never had the right staff or timing to implement it.   

“When we heard about the closure of the local facilities that offered after school care, we decided that the time was right if the Lord would provide the right staff – and He did. We are excited to help the families that are suddenly needing a place for their kids after school with our martial art and fitness program.”  

The new program will be available to children in kindergarten through sixth grade with hours to accommodate working parents. It will launch Feb. 3.  

Owens emphasized that the program will focus on both physical and personal development, with children participating in martial arts lessons and fitness classes, as well as a Biblically based character development program.  Owens said children will also have free time to read and study before their parents pick them up.  

Children prepare for a class at JMK Martial Arts to begin. An after-school program at the studio will launch Feb. 3.  Photo by Rachel Howard.

JMK Martial Arts has been approved as a school bus drop-off location for F.E. Burleson Elementary, Hartselle Intermediate, Hartselle Junior High and Hartselle High School, Owens added. 

“That is very convenient for the families that have kids that attend those schools, but unfortunately Crestline Elementary and Barkley Bridge Elementary are out of our zone,” he said, adding he hopes to explore possibilities that would offer after school transportation for out of zone schools.  

The PALS program at First Baptist Church Hartselle also expanded a class for three-year-old children in response to the recent closures.  

“We currently have 98 children enrolled in our program with 18 staff members. We have already expanded our three-year-old program for this school year in order to accommodate the families that were interested,” PALS director Lauren Hibbs said, adding registration for the summer program and the upcoming school year will open to the public next month. To register, visit www.fbchpals.com.  

For more information on the new after-school program at JMK Martial Arts, parents can visit www.jmkmartialarts.com or call 256-502-9091.