Measure to increase access to child care for military bases becomes law

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill designed to give families working at Oklahoma military bases greater access to childcare has been signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt.  Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, is Senate principal author of Senate Bill 1286, which would allow the Department of Defense’s resources to be used for the licensing of child care to serve military bases in the state.

Stanley serves as vice chair of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee and said last interim, she and committee chair, Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, met with officials at both Tinker Air Force Base and at Fort Sill to find a way to address the tremendous need for additional child care. Stanley said part of the problem was a backlog of up to a year for the child care licensing process through the state.  She said in contrast, the Department of Defense has even more stringent standards and greater resources to help address this issue.

 “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,” Stanley 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. These child care providers already undergo extensive background checks through the U.S. Department of Defense’s program, which has very high standards,” said Miller, R-Edmond. “This opens up more options for our military families in choosing what works best for their child’s needs.”

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For more information, contact:

Sen. Brenda Stanley at 405-521-5584 or email Brenda.Stanley@oksenate.gov.

Rep. Nicole Miller at 405-557-7357 or email Nicole.Miller@okhouse.gov.