Oklahoma Child Care Association

10/23/2026

OKDHS UPDATE:


Dear Child Care Providers,

Child Care Services, in partnership with OU, is currently conducting a market rate survey with child care providers. If any of your programs reach out to verify the survey's legitimacy, please let them know that OU is conducting the survey on our behalf.

09/25/2026

UPDATE FROM OKDHS ABOUT SUBSIDY ELIGIBILITY CHANGES:

Dear Child Care Providers,

We're writing with an update on the State Median Income (SMI) eligibility changes for Child Care Subsidy previously scheduled to take effect October 1, 2026.

To give families, providers and our system administrators more time to prepare, the effective date is moving to February 1, 2027.

The eligibility changes themselves are unchanged. Beginning February 1, 2027:

Entry eligibility will be

set at 55% of State Median Income, consistent with pre-pandemic guidelines and federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) priorities.
Continued eligibility at renewal for families already enrolled will be supported up to 70% of State Median Income. This graduated approach is designed to support families as their household incomes grow while in the program and help provide stability and continuity of care.
As a reminder, Child Care Subsidy eligibility is reviewed at the time of application or renewal. Families currently receiving subsidy will keep their current eligibility and copayment through their next renewal date, as long as they continue to meet program guidelines.

No action is needed from families or providers at this time.

Looking Ahead

Our commitment has not changed: a stable, predictable Child Care Subsidy program that families and providers can count on, with adequate notice before changes that affect them.

We know the important role child care plays in the daily lives of Oklahoma families and the responsibility providers carry in caring for children across our state. Moving the effective date gives families, providers and our system administrators additional time to prepare.

We will share operational guidance well before February 1 and will continue to keep you informed as implementation approaches.

If you have program-specific questions, please contact your designated provider support channel or visit OKDHS.org.

Thank you for the essential work you do every day to care for Oklahoma's children and support families across the state. Your partnership remains vital to the strength and stability of Oklahoma's child care system.

Sincerely,

Oklahoma Human Services

Child Care Services

09/04/2026

Nearly half of children under 6 in America live in a child care desert.

And when families can’t find care, babies and toddlers miss out, too.

High-quality child care means trusted relationships, predictable routines and opportunities to learn and grow during the years when brains develop at an incredible pace.

Child care is more than a workforce support. It’s a critical investment in healthy child development. Dive deeper: https://bit.ly/4qA3PNn

08/28/2026

INFO ON THE NEW EBT PROCESS!!!!!

The Oklahoma Office of Fiscal transparency released a report today after reviewing the OKDHS Child Care Subsidy System. The report did credit Oklahoma for having better system than Minnesota but found areas for improvement for subsidy payment processing and attendance tracking.

The report mentioned that a new attendance tracking system is in the works and shared the information below. This is the most current information regarding the pending replacement for EBT.

DHS is moving to a new electronic attendance system that officials said will:

○ Geofence phone-based check-ins to the provider’s location;
○ Allow check-in through tablets located at childcare facilities;
○ Photograph the individual completing a tablet-based check-in;
○ Give DHS attendance information within approximately 24 hours, allowing nightly analysis for irregularities.

● DHS originally targeted October 1, 2026, for rollout, but technical issues delayed implementation. Officials said there is no firm launch date and that the agency now hopes the system will go live around the beginning of 2027.

08/28/2026

Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services is implementing new measures to address fraud in its childcare system following an investigation by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency. FULL STORY⬇️

08/10/2026

I been sayin’ this. Our employers need us to make sure the childcare industry is strong and stable so their employees have affordable quality childcare!

08/06/2026

Application link is in the comments...

07/01/2026

Child care subsidies are supposed to help families afford care, but our latest report finds that in many states, subsidies don’t even cover what providers charge, let alone what it costs to deliver care.

Examining the Gaps: Child Care Prices, Costs, and Subsidies analyzes state market rate surveys and cost analyses across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The findings are stark: across most states with available data, subsidy rates fall below both market prices and the true cost of providing care.

This is about structural underfunding with consequences for every part of the system. When subsidies don’t cover costs, providers can’t afford to accept families who rely on them. When prices don’t reflect costs, programs operate at a loss. When neither is fixed, the system erodes.

https://hubs.li/Q04n5R4f0

06/30/2026

“What is surprising is that despite Republican claims that we’re open for business, Oklahoma is not willing to make the financial investment needed to shore up our childcare industry when it is so critical to the economy.”

This quote really hits the nail on the head. Full story below:

If lawmakers really want to prove they’re open for business, they would fork out the cash to operate their own center.

06/03/2026

A new bill is moving in the House that could do far more harm to child care than the fraud it claims to stop.

The House is set to vote TODAY on H.R. 7726, the Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026, and the window to act is closing fast. The bill cleared the House Rules Committee yesterday, putting it on track for a full floor vote this afternoon. This is the moment child care advocates have been preparing for, and your voice has never mattered more.

Child Care Aware® of America is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under the internal revenue code section 501(c)(3) and the organization’s Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 94-3060756.