Oklahoma
Working families in Oklahoma need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Oklahoma. But too many working families in Oklahoma are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Oklahoma economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 300K children ages 5 and under in Oklahoma – 60% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in Oklahoma is around $10,000.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 25% of eligible families in Oklahoma. (This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.)
On average, child care providers in Oklahoma earn just $25,890 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
Oklahoma’s economy loses $1.2B annually due to child care challenges.
Oklahoma: In The Headlines
Editorial: Child care still an issue in Oklahoma
Enid News and Eagle | nOVEMBER 13, 2024
Available child care — or the lack of it — continues to be a big issue in Oklahoma. Recently, we’ve seem one troubling situation, as well as one outstanding effort to address the problem.
Shortage of childcare felt across Oklahoma
KOCO | November 14, 2024
A shortage of childcare in Oklahoma comes down to basic supply and demand, more children needing care than caregivers and facilities can handle.
Boost in federal dollars could strengthen prenatal, early childhood Oklahoma home visiting services
KGOU | december 5, 2024
The federal government is increasing funding for a program that offers families free, voluntary home visits by health professionals from pregnancy to kindergarten.
Oklahoma Resources & News
Subscribe to FFYF First Look
Every morning, FFYF reports on the latest child care & early learning news from across the country. Subscribe and take 5 minutes to know what's happening in early childhood education.