CHILD CARE AVAILABILITY — see LICENSED CHILD CARE CAPACITY.

CHILD CARE COSTS display the average weekly cost of full time licensed care in child care centers and family child care homes. For child care centers and homes, state and individual county costs are reported for the following age groups: Infants, Toddlers, Two-Year-Olds, Three-Year-Olds, Four- and Five-Year-Olds, and Six and Over (school age). To view individual county child care cost please visit www.okchildcareportfolio.org.

SOURCE: Data from NACCRRAware provider updates completed by local child care resource and referral agencies, and report generated by the Oklahoma Child Care Resource & Referral Association, Inc., FY 2009.

CHILD CARE SLOTS — see LICENSED CHILD CARE CAPACITY.

CHILD POPULATION is the total resident population, including dependents of Armed Forces personnel stationed in the area. In the Need section state and county counts are displayed for two age groups (birth through 5; 6 through 12) and the combination of those ages (birth through 12). Ages displayed in the Need section omit older children for whom child care is not likely to be sought.

SOURCE: Data provided by Oklahoma State Data Center, Research and Policy, Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC), using Missouri Census Data Center’s Population Estimates by Age, using data from the US Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Division, 2007.
http://mcdc.missouri.edu/websas/estimates_by_age.shtml 

Children Needing Care for Every Licensed Child Care Slot is calculated two different ways to report child care need for the state and for individual counties:

1. Children 0-12 Needing Care for Every Licensed Child Care Slot a takes the total number of Children With Working Parents (birth through age 12) by the Licensed Child Care Capacity for the state and for each county. This number may be larger than the number of children actually needing care since many families needing care may use relative care or unlicensed care of a friend or neighbor.
2. Children 0-5 Needing Care for Every Licensed Child Care Slot approximates the child care need which is met in Oklahoma. The rate is calculated by dividing the number of Children With Working Parents (birth through age five) by the Licensed Child Care Capacity for the state and for each county.

Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care measures the number of children by state and by individual counties who receive child care paid in part by an OKDHS subsidy (June 2009). The percent of children with working parents who receive a child care subsidy is reported for the state and for individual counties.

SOURCE: Data from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2009. Table 7: Child Care Services Provided, By Age and County.

Children With Working Parents counts the children under the age of 13 who live in two-parent families in which both parents work outside the home and children who live in single-parent households in which the only parent works outside the home. Children under the age of 13 living with working parents approximate those for whom child care is most likely to be needed. The percent of children with working parents displays the proportion of all children in each age group who live in two-parent families in which both parents work outside the home and children who live in single-parent households in which the only parent works outside the home. State and individual county information is displayed for two age groups (birth through 5; 6 through 12) and the combination of those ages (birth through 12). Percentage of children living in homes with working parents from the 2000 Census is used in conjunction with 2007 child population Census estimates to calculate recent numbers of children living with working parents. Calculated totals may vary from the sums of their components due to rounding.

SOURCE: Percentage of children living in homes with working parents from data provided by the Oklahoma State Data Center, Research and Policy, Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC), using Oklahoma Department of Commerce - State Data Center, using data from the US Census Bureau and Missouri Census Data Center 2007. Reason/Methodology:

• Started with Table P46 Age of Own Children Under 18 Years In Families and Subfamilies by Living Arrangements by Employment Status of Parents from 2000 Census Summary File 3.
• Calculated ratios of labor force participation for parents by child age groups.
• Assumed ratios were consistent in 2007.
• Multiplied ratios by child population reported by Missouri Census Data Center to get final results.
  See also Child Population.
  

SOURCE: Data from Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), 2008 – 2009 School Year. See also Child Population.

Head Start is a federal program for preschool children primarily from low-income families. Most children enrolled in Head Start are between the ages of three and five years old. Early Head Start services are also available to infants and toddlers in selected sites. Children enrolled in Head Start typically attend either a full-day or half-day center-based program. Head Start and Early Head Start programs and slots are included in the count of Oklahoma’s licensed child care center-based programs. See Licensed Child Care Capacity.

Licensed Child Care Capacity (frequently referred to as Child Care Slots or Child Care Availability) displays the number and capacity for the state and by county of child care facilities licensed by the State of Oklahoma in June 2009. State and individual county percents are reported for all facilities, by center-based programs and by family child care homes. Center-based programs are comprised of Head Start and regular child care centers. Counts exclude child care not required to be licensed or child care operating in violation of licensing requirements. While Licensed Child Care Capacity is used in this report as a measure of child care availability, it is not precise. Capacity overstates available child care when facilities operate at less than full capacity, keeping some licensed slots unavailable to children. Capacity also understates available child care because not all child care is required to be licensed.

SOURCE: Number of facilities and total capacity of homes from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2009. Table 10: Child Care Licensed Facilities and Capacity by Type and County.

Data from OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2008. Table 10 does not distinguish between regular center-based programs and Head Start programs so NACCRRAware data had to be used to get the most accurate number of regular center-based programs.

Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act requires most child care facilities to be licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). Licensing is designed to ensure that minimum standards for the care of Oklahoma children are met and maintained. The specific standards address a wide variety of issues, including staff qualifications and training, programming, safe environment, sanitation, health and record keeping. Exemptions allow some types of child care to operate without being licensed by the state. Child care exempted from licensing primarily includes that provided in a child’s own home or by relatives, informal arrangements made by parents with friends or neighbors for occasional care (babysitting), home school programs, pre-school programs operated by school districts, accredited summer youth camps for school age children, and so on. Unlicensed child care programs and providers not falling within a listed exemption violate the law. The examples provided are illustrative only. For a full explanation of licensing requirements and exemptions contact OKDHS or review the cited Oklahoma Statutes.

SOURCE: Oklahoma Statutes Annotated, Title 10, Section 401 et seq. (2004). See also Licensed Child Care Capacity.

Percent of Children on OKDHS Child Care Subsidies Receiving Care in 2- or 3-Star Facilities measures the proportion of low-income children from working families receiving subsidies to help pay for child care who receive that care in a facility (includes both centers and homes) which is Two- or Three-Star rated, indicating the facility provides a higher quality of care. Percents are reported for the state and for individual counties.

SOURCE: Data from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2009. Table 9: Child Care Facilities and Subsidies, By Type, Stars and County.

Percent of Facilities Accepting OKDHS Subsidies displays the proportion of licensed facilities reporting a willingness to serve low-income children whose care is subsidized by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). State and individual county percents are reported for all facilities, by center-based programs and by family child care homes.

SOURCE: Data from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2009. Table 10: Child Care Licensed Facilities and Capacity, By Type and County: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Percent of Facilities with Waiting Lists displays the proportion of licensed child care facilities reporting an inability to serve all children seeking care and maintaining a list in the event a slot becomes available. State and individual county percents are reported for all facilities, by center based programs and by family child care homes. Counties listing no information for center-based programs are those for which no center responded to the survey question.

Review of the data presented for the Percentage of Facilities with Waiting Lists for centers and homes requires caution be used and recognition of recognize the impact ofa low response rates can have. Many of the questions associated with the 2007 Market Rate Survey (MRS) had as few as two respondents. Low response rates can skew the data resulting in the reader incorrectly interpreting the data. The reader is cautioned to be aware of very small and very large numbers when comparing county data. Relying solely on the data presented without considering the context and the numbers involved can result in poor decisions and poor interpretations. Other sources of data and viewpoints are available from other sources that can aid in placing the data presented here in a broad and proper context.

SOURCE: Unpublished data from Oklahoma State University, Child Care Market Rate Survey, prepared for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), 2007.

Public Kindergarten Programs — see Early Education.
Public Preschool Programs for Pre-K (4-year olds) — see Early Education.
Quality of Child Care — see Star Ratings for Child Care Facilities.

SOURCE: Data from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2008. Table 10: Child Care Licensed Facilities and Capacity, By Type and Count and OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2008. Table 9: Child Care Facilities and Subsidies, By Type, Stars and County y: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
 

SOURCE: Data from NACCRRAware compliance reports completed by local resource and referral agencies, then submitted to and tabulated by Oklahoma Child Care Resource & Referral Association, Inc., FY 2009.

Star Ratings for Child Care Facilities display the proportion of licensed child care centers and homes and their capacity at each level of the Reaching for the Stars rating system created by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Star ratings are reported for the state and for individual counties. Absence of one or more of the Star ratings from the pie chart means that county had no facilities licensed for that Star rating in June 2009.

SOURCE: Data from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS June 2009 moment in time data. Child Care Facilities, By Star Levels, Capacity and County.

Starting Wage displays the average starting hourly wage a beginning child care provider is paid to work in a child care center and child care home. Wages can be found for the state and for individualized counties in the Archived Data from 2008. There is no updated data on starting wages to report. The data comes from the Department of Human Services, Market Rate Survey and the data was not made available at time of collection. However, we know that many child care providers are paid low compensation, usually around the minimum wage level which is currently, $7.25/hour. Subsidized Child Care — see Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care.

Turnover Rate displays the rate at which child care workers leave their employment in child care centers each year. Rates are reported for the state and for individual counties. Counties listing no turnover rates are those for which no center responded to the survey question.

Review of the data presented for the Turnover Rate for centers and homes requires caution be used and recognition ofrecognize the impact ofa low response rates can have. Many of the questions associated with the 2007 Market Rate Survey (MRS) had as few as two respondents. Low response rates can skew the data resulting in the reader incorrectly interpreting the data. The reader is cautioned to be aware of very small and very large numbers when comparing county data. Relying solely on the data presented without considering the context and the numbers involved can result in poor decisions and poor interpretations. Other sources of data and viewpoints are available from other sources that can aid in placing the data presented here in a broad and proper context.

SOURCE: Unpublished data from Oklahoma State University, Child Care Market Rate Survey, prepared for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), 2007.

Quality Ranking displays the ranking of all 77 counties by who offers the highest quality of care based on the Star Rating and Capacity of facilities. The ranking was calculated using the average Star Rating by county and weighted against county Licensed Child Care Capacity.

SOURCE: Data from Oklahoma Child Care Services (OKDHS), June 2009 moment in time data; Child Care Facilities By Stars, Capacity, and County.