Oklahoma childcare crisis: Options for more than 30,000 families at risk of losing care

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Thousands of Oklahoma families are at risk of losing childcare after $39 billion in federal funding expired, but groups in the state are providing options for those who need it the most.

Curtiss Mays, Director for Oklahoma City Head Start, said the organization provides care to 14,000 children across the state.

"We have openings at most of our sites and I know most of our grantees have openings across the state as well," Mays said.

Those openings are stifled by staff vacancies though.

Mays said just in Oklahoma City, there are about 25 jobs open. That means 250 kids in the metro miss out on a spot in the program.

"It’s a cascading effect," he said. "We help 250 children, well those 250 children help 250 families. When we don’t have staff in the building, we don’t have children that can learn. So right now, we are running about 1,100 students but we could be running more if we had more staff."

Some programs in Oklahoma addressed staffing issues through temporary, pandemic relief funding. The billions of dollars were available through the Child Care Stabilization program that expired on September 30.

There was nothing passed in Congress to fill the gap of lost funding and increased costs for child care centers and parents.

"Childcare costs, while they're up about 8% since the beginning of the pandemic, this is kind of a longer run trend that has been occurring even before the outbreak occurred," saidSarah Foster, an analyst for Bankrate.

Data from The Century Foundation found that with the pandemic-era funding ending, Oklahoma could see 751 childcare programs close -- impacting 30,659 children.

Mays said Head Start is immune to the funding shortfall though.

"I don’t think with Head Start and early Head Start that that will be an issue," he said. "And that won’t be an issue because we have different federal funding."

Head Start is run byThe Oklahoma Community Action Agency. The group oversees programs across the state.

Head Start is an income and situation-based program to help families who need it the most. Mays said sometimes people aren't aware it's an option though.

Families who are unhoused, staying with family members, in foster care, on SNAP benefits or experiencing other circumstances qualify for the program.

For families looking at alternative options, Foster said parents are getting creative.

"Maybe parents who work together, they're going in on having one nanny who can take care of the children during their work schedule," she said.

Foster also encourages people to look into other government programs outside of Head Start.

"They might have some sort of help for you that you can take advantage of at least to subsidize childcare costs," Foster said.

A survey by Bankrate found that parents said they need to make at least $14,000 more every year to feel financially comfortable as childcare costs rise.