Fort Sill families will have better access to child care facilities after a legislative measure was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
The new law will allow the U.S. Department of Defense’s resources to be used for the licensing of child care facilities to serve personnel at Oklahoma’s five military installations. State Sens. Brenda Stanley (R-Midwest City) and Frank Simpson (R-Springer) met with officials at Fort Sill and Tinker Air Force Base to find a way to address the need for additional child care.
The new law will exempt child care facilities licensed by the DOD and the U.S. Coast Guard from undergoing Oklahoma licensing requirements.
Part of the problem, Stanley said, revolved around a backlog lasting a year for child care licensing at the state level. In contrast, the Defense Department has more resources that can get child care facilities licensed quicker even though the federal agency has more stringent standards. Stanley said the law will apply to operators who want to open new child care centers in and around Oklahoma’s five military installations.
Stanley is vice chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and Springer is the committee chairman.
“Now that this legislation has been signed into law, we can take advantage of those resources to speed up the process and make sure our military and civilian families have access to the child care they need,” she said. “I want to thank my House principal author, Representative Nicole Miller, Senator Simpson, our fellow members, and Governor Stitt for helping us better support the child care needs of families serving on Oklahoma military bases.”
SB 1286 took effect upon the governor’s signature.
“As a military spouse and mother, I remember the struggles in finding quality child care for our children,” said Miller (R-Edmond). “These child care providers already undergo extensive background checks through the U.S. Department of Defense’s program, which has very high standards. This opens up more options for our military families in choosing what works best for their child’s needs.”
State Sens. John Michael Montgomery, (R-Lawton) and Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan) voted for the measure. Reps. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton) and Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) also voted in favor of the bill.