A longtime Bartlesville child development program will reopen this fall as a new center inside Bartlesville First Church of the Nazarene following the closure of Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. Director Jennifer Braden said the transition comes after Good Shepherd announced it is closing. The program will relocate across Adams Boulevard into space at the Nazarene church, retaining its current staff and continuing as a part-day center serving families Monday through Thursday from 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. once fully licensed.

Braden said the new center will operate under a new name and license, with some structural changes tied to the move. The current site will close May 12, with setup at the new location beginning May 13. Because classrooms cannot be fully prepared until after the move, the center will operate under a 15-hour summer schedule without full licensing. For summer 2026 only, hours will be Monday through Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The program expects to be fully licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in August and resume its regular academic year schedule.

Public enrollment will open next week following in-house registration for current families. An in-person enrollment event is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at the Nazarene church. Braden said the center aims to return to previous enrollment levels after some families departed amid uncertainty about the church’s closure. The program, which has operated in Bartlesville for 50 years, plans to maintain its staffing and services while continuing under new leadership at the Nazarene church.