In Oklahoma childcare, a program refers to any licensed or authorized care service for children, according to Child Care Services (CCS).

One such program president at Thrive Early Learning Center in Purcell is Janell Wheat, who also serves on the board of Child Care Advisory Committee (CCAC) and Licensed Child Care Association of Oklahoma (LCA).

In a recent presentation to the Oklahoma Workforce Commission (OWC), the commission was told “When we talk about strengthening Oklahoma’s workforce, we often focus on recruitment, training programs and economic development incentives.

“Those are important tools. But there is a more fundamental workforce issue that determines whether parents can accept jobs, keep jobs, and show up to work every day, and that is child care.

“Across Oklahoma, thousands of small child care businesses quietly make it possible for our hospitals to staff nurses, our manufacturers to run production lines, our schools to employ teachers and our service industries to open their doors each morning.”

Childcare has a direct bearing on the way business is conducted in our state. If parents don’t have child care they do not show up for work.

Due to the constant moving of the goal posts for rules and regulations, over the last 15 years  35 percent of programs in Oklahoma have closed, childcare officials have reported.

The question was posed: Why aren’t new child care programs opening in Oklahoma?

Officials report, “Because no business can invest in a system defined by constant policy changes.”

Back to the commission report: “Parents miss work when child care falls through. Employers struggle with absenteeism and turnover. Businesses cannot fill open positions. Economic productivity declines across multiple industries.

In other words, the stability of child care programs directly influences the stability of the workforce.”

Wheat has served on the LCA board since 2019 and on the CCAC since 2024.

She said, “Statewide, 100,000 Oklahoma children are in child care.

“There have been 400 programs closed since July 2025 to January 2026 and that 45,000 children across the state rely on subsidy for child care.”

In McClain County July 2024 (2025 numbers not released yet) there were 21 programs total closed including 18 centers and three homes.

Capacity for the county 1,110 (meaning the total number of slots available) 71.2 percent accept subsidy students, so if a family is eligible for subsidy assistance, that is the percentage of the programs that would accept them as a payer type if they had openings,” Wheat said.

Recent and pending changes:

November 1, with one day notice, subsidy assistance for six year olds was eliminated. Six to eight year olds were restored January 12, but there was no plan to restore nine-12-year-olds.

She went on to say $5 per day per child for school age (six and older) was eliminated.

April 6, $5/day per child for all ages will be eliminated.

Currently to qualify for subsidy for child care a family must be at 85 percent of state median income (SMI) but beginning July 1, eligibility will be reduced to 55 percent of SMI.  This is forecasted to cut assistance to 5,800 children statewide, Wheat explained.

“Childcare is not a social issue,” Wheat said. “It’s workforce infrastructure. If employees can’t find child care, they don’t show up to work.”

• 60 percent of Oklahoma children under 6 have working parents.
• 55 percent of Oklahomans live in child care deserts.
• No care = no workforce.

“LCA is the largest trade association in Oklahoma that advocates for high quality licensed child care in both center based programs and homes,” Wheat said. “Our membership is very active with legislation as small business owners,” Wheat concluded.

In Purcell other programs include Busy Bees Nursery and Preschool and Mission Kids, Inc.