While lawmakers addressed many children’s policy issues this year, one which still needs support is childcare services.
Other states have taken this on as a top priority. Through an expansion of their Child Care Assistance program, New Mexico became the first state in the nation to offer no-cost Universal Child Care beginning Nov. 1, 2025.
In Oklahoma, we have conflicting reports about the closures of daycares across the state. In March, Oklahoma Human Services reported 166 childcare programs have closed statewide since November, but 78 new programs have opened during the same period. In contrast, News 9 reported in January that more than 400 childcare centers in Oklahoma have closed their doors since November. Oklahoma received national attention as The New York Times reported this week on the impact on families from the closure of one childcare center.
Additionally, many workplace-operated care centers, provided as an incentive for employees, have closed as those businesses could not afford to maintain that important employee benefit.
Worsening the problem, as of April 6, day care centers across the state lost COVID-19-era funding, according to the Licensed Child Care Association of Oklahoma, with providers seeing a reduction of about $5 per child per day. While this funding was never meant to be a permanent allocation for these businesses, and each was advised this would eventually be eliminated, the timing was certainly not good.
Subsidized childcare depends on financial assistance for eligible low-income working families, paid directly to providers, often requiring co-payments based on income. Unsubsidized care is paid fully out-of-pocket by the family, often costing significantly more. In Oklahoma, federal and state early learning subsidized opportunities have served more than 80,169 children and families, or 27% of children ages 5 and under.
What is the price tag? TOOTRiS, a nationwide childcare network, reports that the average cost for infants in a childcare center breaks down to $901 monthly, or $10,809 annually per child; for toddlers, which is $838 per month, or $10,060 annually. For four-year-olds, the cost dips to $785 monthly, or $9,415 annually, which is likely due to children also being in four-year-old public-school programs for a portion of the day.
It is not just money impacting families. It’s been noted that many families have older children who stay home from school to watch their younger siblings while the parents are at work, which contributes to learning loss for both age groups. Young children benefit academically from childcare programs, and the older youth should not miss classroom time.
Despite the bad news, Oklahoma has made strides to address the problem. House Bill 1847 was authored by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, and became law last year. The new law exempts at-home childcare centers from specific regulation, saving small home childcares those expenses.
Other ideas have not advanced. House Bill 1849, also authored by Representative Schreiber and Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, would have allowed childcare providers at licensed facilities to exempt their household’s income from consideration when applying for the Child Care Subsidy Program as an attempt to incentivize new industry workers and retain current employees. While this bill remains in committee, it is not expected to move due to the $11 million estimated cost.
HB 3552, authored by Rep. Cody Maynard and Sen. David Bullard, both Durant Republicans, would have allowed licensed childcare providers to charge parents receiving childcare subsidies the “differential” rate, the difference between the state subsidy reimbursement and the provider’s standard private tuition.
Another, HB 4201, authored by Representative Schreiber and Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, would set the master teacher ratio required for two, three-, four- and five-star centers be one full-time master teacher for every 60 children enrolled at the licensed childcare facility.
With the remaining time left in the legislative session, I have hope that lawmakers will address this critical need in a way which helps provide families with much needed childcare resources.
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. The OICA’s mission statement is: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”
