Okla. Stat. tit. 10, § 10-440

federal child care and development block grant funds - Duties.

There is hereby established within the Department of Human

Services the Office of Child Care. The Office of Child Care shall:

1. Develop a state child care plan to qualify for federal child

care and development block grant funds.

Such plan shall:

a. Provide to the maximum extent practicable that parents

or guardians of each eligible child be given the

option to enroll such child with a child care provider

that has a grant or contract for the provision of

child care services with the Department of Human

Services, which is selected by the parent or guardian,

or to receive a child care certificate, as defined in

Chapter 6 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of

1990, of value commensurate with the subsidy value of

child care services provided through contract or

grant;

b. Provide that nothing in the plan shall preclude the

use of child care certificates for sectarian child

care services if freely chosen by the parents;

2. Oversee distribution of state and federal funds related to

child care;

3. Provide technical assistance to employers who are interested

in exploring child care benefits and community child care needs;

4. Assist the Oklahoma Department of Commerce in promoting

Oklahoma as a state that cares about families and children;

5. Address barriers that limit the availability of care for

children with handicaps, infants, school-age children and children

whose parents work nontraditional hours;

6. Provide oversight, training and technical assistance to

resource and referral programs;

7. Coordinate the provision of training statewide for child

care providers;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10. Children Page 99

8. Increase community awareness of the need for quality child

care which is both available and affordable;

9. Serve as a clearinghouse for child care data, resources and

initiatives;

10. Cooperate with the Office of Management and Enterprise

Services regarding child care benefits for state employees; and

11. Advise parents that no outside child care can ever be as

effective and beneficial as devoted loving care within the home, and

encourage parents to care for their children themselves, in their

own home, whenever possible.