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Parents
We provide families:
- Free consultation with a qualified Referral Specialist to determine your child care needs
- A list of child care programs that meets your specifications
- Advice on what to look for and questions to ask when choosing child care
- Financial assistance information
- Information on how to check child care provider compliance records
- A packet of valuable information to assist you in your search
- Average child care rates in your area
- A free subscription to Parent Central Newsletter
Choosing a child care provider may be the most important decision you make in your child's life. You don't have to make it alone. We can help you make an informed choice.
OKDHS Office of Child Care Services
The Division of Child Care in the Oklahoma Department of Human Services has the responsibility for licensing child care programs. Child care licensing specialists provide on-site inspection, and enforce minimum requirements. The division coordinates a number of child care quality enhancement initiatives including Star quality ratings.
OSU Consumer and Family Sciences
From Oklahoma State University's Consumer and Family Sciences Department, this site offers information on child development at various ages, parenting advice and links to additional resources.
Child Care Aware Parent Network (CCAPN) is a free membership organization specifically for parents and those who care about and for children. CCAPN provides meaningful, relevant and important information about parenting and child care so our members will become well-informed child care consumers and well-connected advocates. CCAPN includes interactive resources that will bring together people who share a need to know more about how to purchase and use child care, and will come to share their concerns about access to safe, affordable and nurturing child care.
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics has an excellent site for children's health topics, as well as helpful advice for families in the "Parent's Corner" section.
Oklahoma Department of Health
This agency provides child health services including immunizations, child development and parent education information, Sooner Start services for children under 3 with special needs, and sponsors the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program. Services are obtained through county health departments.
Oklahoma Health Care Authority
OHCA manages the state Medicaid program. Check the web site to see if your family qualifies for low cost health care coverage through SoonerCare and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Sooner Start
Sooner Start is Oklahoma's early intervention program designed to meet the needs of infants and toddlers aged birth to 36 months, with disabilities and developmental delays. The program is free and qualification is based on the child's disability and severity of the delay.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
OKDHS provides access to a wide array of services including child care tuition assistance, TANF cash assistance, food stamps, developmental disabilities, Medicaid eligibility, child support enforcement and child welfare including foster care, adoption and child abuse treatment. Services are obtained through county OKDHS offices.
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Helpful resources for parents....
Great Plains
Child Care
Resource & Referral
Types of child care
Child Care Center - A facility which provides care for 8 or more children and operates for more than thirty hours per week and must be licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS).
Family Child Care Home - a residential home where care is provided for 7 or fewer children for the 24-hour day. Family child care homes must be licensed through DHS.
Large Family Child Care Home - a residential home where care is provided for no more than 12 children part of the 24-hour day. Ratios apply for ages of children and in most cases an assistant is required. Family child care homes must be licensed by through DHS.
Preschool - A facility which provides care for 8 or more children which operates for less than 30 hours per week; if operating for more than 15 hours per week the program must be licensed through DHS.
Part-time/Drop-In - care for children usually on a temporary basis, for part day and part week. (ex. Mother's Day Out, support groups for parents, or drop-in centers).
Camps (Summer) - Programs that offer full or part day summer activities.