Kids Unlimited of Oregon

Kids Unlimited of Oregon offers afterschool programs, summer camp, a basketball program, a dance program, cooking with kids, fresh pasta production and sales, family literacy programs, transition programs, early learning programs, and community recreation. The program uses facilities that include two indoor basketball courts, an outdoor soccer field, an outdoor garden with a brick oven, an industrial kitchen, a literacy center, a media studio, and a screen printing shop where children can participate in these activities.

Kids Unlimited of Oregon operates a public charter school called KU Academy serving grades Pre-K through 5 on its main campus and provides a holistic solution with integrated services that bridge school, afterschool, and summer. The campus combines education, afterschool programs, social-emotional supports, parent and family resources, early learning programs, and community recreation, and includes an outdoor garden with a brick oven and an industrial kitchen on site. Additional program features include the VIBES Main 1 Center for the arts in downtown Medford, the Carpenter Dance Studio as the first dance program inside the Main 1 Arts center, the Pastabilities Unlimited fresh, handmade pasta production and sales program, and the EmpowerPrint Unlimited KU production program. Kids Unlimited of Oregon focuses on children of poverty and includes purposeful integration of Latino families in its programs.

Kids Unlimited of Oregon was created in 1998 with a grassroots pilot program at a low-income elementary school, and it has been 26 years since the first afterschool program opened its doors at Oak Grove Elementary. Its 25th anniversary story notes its 1998 inception as a grassroots afterschool program. The mission of Kids Unlimited of Oregon is to provide opportunity for all kids through enrichment programs, its public charter school, and the help of its caring staff.

The leadership team includes Tom Cole, who is the CEO, founder, and Director of Kids Unlimited of Oregon. Tom Cole graduated from Missouri State University with degrees in Sociology and Psychology and is a former program director of a nationally recognized Boys & Girls Club in Missouri.

Kids Unlimited of Oregon has received a national award from Rolling Stone magazine and MTV recognizing its innovative program model. Community involvement includes the Rotary Club-sponsored Kids Unlimited basketball Pass 2 Play program, efforts to expand enrichment opportunities for Southern Oregon’s underserved youth, and work in the community supported by Pastabilities Unlimited. Its programs are designed with purposeful integration of Latino families, with a commitment to bringing the region’s highest quality public education to kids who need it most, and a focus on Southern Oregon community needs rather than replicating a national model.

Last updated December 28, 2025.