Data and information used to update the 2012 Oklahoma Child Care & Early Education Portfolio comes from a wide variety of sources in Oklahoma and around the nation. This section identifies the sources for the information found in this document and the method used for computations where applicable.

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 2012.

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 omits older children for whom child care is not likely to be sought.  There is a margin of error calculated for each county and the state by the different age groups.  The margin of error can be found at the top of the Need table in the Data Table Section.

SOURCE: Data provided by Oklahoma State Data Center, Policy, Research and Economic Analysis Division, Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC), using data from the 2010 US Census, Sex by Age for the Population under 20 years; Universe:  Population under 20 years. (Census Summary File-1 detailing population data has remained unchanged, therefore calculations are from 2010)

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 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.

SOURCE: See Licensed Child Care Capacity and Children With Working Parents.

Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care measures the number of children by state and by individual counties who receive child care services (swipes) through the child care subsidy program during a particular month.  This number counts each child only once no matter how many facilities or counties he receives care in.  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 2012. Table 7:  Child Care Services Provided, By Age and County. Facilities and Subsidies by Type, Stars and County. 

Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care By Star Level counts the number of children by state and by individual counties for whom a child care subsidy payment was made during the month.  Some payments cover services provided in prior months and counts each child in each facility they received care in.    

SOURCE: Data from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2012. Table 9: Child Care Facilities and Subsidies by Type, Stars 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 US Census Bureau’s 2007-2011 American Community Survey is used in conjunction with 2010 child population Census estimates (Census Summary File-1 detailing population data has remained unchanged, therefore calculations are from 2010) to calculate recent numbers of children living with working parents. Calculated totals may vary from the sums of their components due to rounding. There is a margin of error calculated for each county and the state by the different age groups with working parent.  The margin of error can be found at the top of the Need table in the Data Table Section.

SOURCE: Percentage of children living in homes with working parents from data provided by the Oklahoma State Data Center, Policy, Research and Economic Analysis Division, Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC), using data from the US Census Bureau. 

Reason/Methodology: 

1. Started with Table B23008 Age of Own Children Under 18 Years In Families and Subfamilies by Living Arrangements by Employment Status of Parents from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Data Set. 

1. Used table data as provided to arrive at breakdown for 0-5 age group.
2. Table provides breakdown for 6-17 age group but not for 6-12 age group
3. Assumed ratios for 6-12 age group were consistent with ratios for 6-17 age group.
4. Multiplied ratios against child population reported by 2010 Census data to get final results for 6-12 age group. (Census Summary File-1 detailing population data has remained unchanged, therefore calculations are from 2010)

Early Education details public school programs and enrollment for preschool age children. State and individual county data displays the number of public pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs and the number of children enrolled in each. Information is displayed by all programs, by full-day programs and by half-day programs. The levels of participation are recorded as a percent of all four-year olds who are enrolled in either a full-day or part-day pre-kindergarten program and as a percent of all five-year olds who are enrolled in either a full-day or part-day kindergarten program. In some cases single year population estimates fell below the actual preschool enrollment in a given county. In such an event, the level of participation was recorded as 100%.

SOURCE: Data from Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), 2011 – 2012 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. 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 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 2012. 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 centers and homes from Office of Policy, Planning and Research, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), OKDHS Statistical Bulletin: June 2012. Table 10: Child Care Licensed Facilities and Capacity by Type and County.

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 2012. 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 2012. Table 10: Child Care Licensed Facilities and Capacity, By Type and County: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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.

Requests to Resource and Referral Programs displays information about care sought by families through local child care resource and referral programs. State and individual county data include the number and proportion of families seeking full-time or part-time child care (or both), the ages of the children for whom care is being sought and the types of non-traditional schedules needed. Ages of the children are reported by categories, including infants (birth through nine months), toddlers (ten through 23 months), two-year olds (24 through 35 months), three- through five-year olds (36 through 60 months), and school age children (over 60 months), and are reported as a number and as the percent of all requests each age category represents. Types of non-traditional schedules requested include after-school, before-school, 24-hour care, evening care, overnight care and weekend care, and are reported as a number and as the percent of all requests each schedule represents. County data indicates whether or not the local resource and referral program received requests for providers serving children with special needs, speaking a specific non-English language or using sign-language (includes both phone and internet referrals).

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 2012.

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 2012.

SOURCE: Data from Oklahoma Child Care Services, Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). OKDHS June 2012 moment in time data; Child Care Facilities By Star Level, Capacity, and County.

Subsidized Child Care — see Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care.

Quality Ranking displays the ranking of all 77 counties 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 2012 moment in time data; Child Care Facilities By Stars, Capacity, and County.