As Oklahoma struggles with a lack of child care options, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and advocates are looking toward long-term solutions.
A statewide study released last week by United WE, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on economic security for women, found that there is a “pressing need” for greater child care capacity in nearly all counties in Oklahoma. Gaps in caregiving, especially child care, causes states to lose billions of dollars in economic productivity and is a top reason for women leaving the workforce, the group found.
The study found that Oklahoma has systemic challenges that make it harder for providers to open businesses. Those challenges include “regulatory fragmentation and licensing barriers.”
“Our research shows that when child care systems are fragmented and overly complex, women pay the price — through fewer affordable options, longer waitlists, and impossible choices about staying in the workforce,” said Wendy Doyle, president and CEO of United WE.
The group’s study found that while Oklahoma operates 19 early child care-related programs, they’re run by five different agencies.
Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, said if the state could consolidate all programs under one roof, it would reduce redundancies.
“We could actually take that money and put it back into services for our families,” she said.
Ranson has authored House Bill 1979, a carryover bill from last session, that would create a task force to issue recommendations on how to consolidate and streamline governance of the child care industry in Oklahoma.
Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas have also implemented a more consolidated structure for governing early childhood services, according to a United WE news release.
Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, said he hopes lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate are able to find solutions for the child care industry this session.
“There’s tremendous need, and we’ve got to make sure we’re supporting everyone involved in the system,” he said. “And so long as you remember that this is truly a workforce development issue that can pay dividends for us and the economy, I think we’ll be heading in the right direction.”
Child care providers have said there is a lack of funding to keep their doors open, most recently with DHS announcing plans to end a $5 per child, per day subsidy program in April because federal relief funding had been exhausted
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services this year requested $70 million for the upcoming budget year to stabilize the child care industry and “prevent future funding cliffs.”
In his budget plan released Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt recommended a flat budget for DHS.
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