Topic: Child Opportunity

Meaningful change still needed to address mounting problems in the child welfare and youth justice systems (2024 Legislative Wrap-up)

Oklahoma is not known for being a safe and hospitable place for children. Oklahoma, for the second year in a row, ranks 46th nationally in overall child well-being. Lawmakers sought to address this problem in the 2024 session by passing budget increases to vital services like the child welfare and youth justice systems. However, Oklahoma’s structural budget deficit has meant that state agencies and service providers in the child welfare systems have continually been forced to do more with less year after year. [More...]

KIDS COUNT 2023 Report Shows Oklahoma Ranks 46th for Child Well-Being

The rankings from the new Annie E. Casey Foundation report show Oklahoma’s poor child well-being outcomes. These results demonstrate the impact of the state’s ongoing disinvestment in programs and services that help our children thrive, including helping parents get affordable,… Read more [More...]

New report shows Oklahoma led nation in improving health insurance coverage, but more than 75,000 Oklahoma children remain uninsured

The rate of Oklahoma children without health care insurance decreased significantly – from 8.6 percent to 7.4 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to a new report from the Georgetown Center for Children and Families. This marked the nation’s largest… Read more [More...]

Increasing economic security in Oklahoma can strengthen families, assist in child abuse prevention (Child Abuse Prevention Month)

When it comes to providing meaningful solutions to stopping child maltreatment, Oklahoma should focus on addressing poverty, which is intrinsically linked with child maltreatment, particularly neglect. If Oklahoma leaders really want to make children a priority in this state, then improving economic stability for their families is the first step.  [More...]

COVID-19 worsened an existing crisis for child care in Oklahoma

Due to underfunding, Oklahoma’s child care system for providers and families was in crisis long before the first COVID-19 case at a child care center was reported on March 18, 2020. [More...]

Oklahoma families need economic support following the ending of the expanded Child Tax Credit

In this year’s legislative session, it is more important than ever that we respond to the needs of Oklahomans and invest in an economy that works for everyone. For far too long, corporations across the state have enjoyed tax breaks and cuts while 1 in 5 of our state’s children grow up in poverty. [More...]

Oklahoma’s children deserve better: Leveraging federal aid and policy solutions to improve child well-being

Related factsheet: ARPA and Child Well-Being in Oklahoma (May 2021) From school and child care closings to economic disruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many gaps within our state’s systems that support children and families. As we look toward recovery, it… Read more [More...]

KIDS COUNT 2021: Smart policy decisions can help improve Oklahoma’s dismal child well-being outcomes

Oklahoma children need housing, food, health care, educational opportunities, and stable, nurturing environments to succeed. These essentials, however, are out of reach for many Oklahomans as the result of poverty, structural racism, and other barriers. [More...]

Well-designed paid family and medical leave programs assist working families

While paid family and medical leave policies are standard in nearly every country, the U.S. is one of only eight countries in the world (and the only “developed” country) to not guarantee access to paid family and medical leave. However, nine states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation that provides paid family and medical leave to most employees. [More...]

Oklahoma’s children need funding to recover from the COVID-19 crisis

If we want Oklahoma’s children to recover quickly from the COVID-19 crisis and grow up to be healthy, thriving adults, then now is the time to increase our investment in the programs that provide the stability that our children need. [More...]