Oklahoma Daycare Regulations Made Simple

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Oklahoma daycare has been changing and there are more rules to follow than ever before. You can navigate Oklahoma daycare regulations if you simplify them. Running a home daycare has many ins and outs.

DHS Daycare licensing Oklahoma

Yes! Even keeping one child in your home in Oklahoma requires a license unless that child is your relative. If you choose to keep children in your home in Oklahoma without a license, you are risking being shut down or even fined. There is a lot to navigate to be licensed for childcare in Oklahoma, but most of it is for the good of the kids in care, so it’s more than worth it!

For more tips for daycare providers, click here. 

Oklahoma in home daycare requirement

There are a ton of new policies that you’ll have to write for Oklahoma daycare providers. That’s the biggest, most time-consuming part. If you would like to use my handy template, you’re welcome to click on the link below to download it and then make changes as you see fit for your own use. You may have to click enable editing to edit. That will take a lot of the guesswork out of making sure you have everything included.

business-policies-other

I already had policies in place, so I added mine to these so I’d only have one booklet. This document will be your own to use however you see fit, so change and tweak away. I hope it saves you a ton of time.

You’ll need to print out a copy to keep on-site, one for your go bag, and one for each daycare family. It’s not required to have them sign it but it is required to make sure they read and understand it so they will be aware of your plans.

You will need to review these policies yearly AND after drills and after an event occurs to see what you could do better next time. 

Oklahoma daycare

You will also need to add a place in your contract that tells parents you are a reporter of sex trafficking behaviors. How a parent would not already know you would turn them in for human trafficking is beyond me.

You can bet your butt I would turn someone in long before my policy was in place. My contract states I am a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse, so I just added and sex trafficking behaviors. You don’t have to add this here, but since you have to report, I would recommend it. 

Two things already handled. You got this!

Oklahoma DHS Childcare

Let’s talk about the training that are required for Oklahoma daycare:

• Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases
• Use of a Fire Extinguisher
• Prevention of Shaken Baby
• Prevention of SIDS
• Safe Sleep
• Car Seat Safety
• Physical Premise Safety
• Handling/Storing Hazardous Materials
• Emergency Preparedness
• Immunizations
• Medication Administration
• Prevention and Response to Emergencies/Food Allergy Situations
• Behavior and Guidance

These are the training required. Talk to your worker to see what trainings you already have. You may only need to add Safe Sleep if you have been in business. You can give them a call and see what you still need to get or wait for your visit and ask. Also, DHS will be providing an updated health and safety DVD that we will be required to view within 90 days of receipt. Click on the red wording above to view it online. 

You don’t have to have your supplies in a bag, but I would totally recommend it so it would be ready in an emergency. 

Your go bag should include:

• First and last names of all your kids and yourself
• Emergency contact numbers for emergency personnel
• Emergency contact numbers for your kid’s families
• I included a copy of my child information forms in my bag so their first and last names, emergency contact numbers and medical/allergy/medication needs would all be right there. That was an easy way to do it. I’m going to attach a photo of each child as well in case I need information for a missing child situation. I will already have a photo and info ready to go in the bag. I can grab it for law enforcement in no time.
• A copy of your emergency policies
• Lifesaving medications for any children in care
• The other required item for your bag is a first aid kit.

This kit has to include:

Thermometer, disposable gloves, blunt-tipped scissors, tweezers, bandage tape, gauze, adhesive strips and a first aid guide. Click the picture below for a great kit that has everything needed but a thermometer. Click the picture of the thermometer if you want to go straight to one that would work but is not too expensive.

Other things I put in my go bag are:

Diapers for each child

• Wipes
• Water
• Snacks
• Flashlight
• Hand Sanitizer
• Ponchos
• Blankets

You can print out the emergency personnel numbers from the policy link above for Oklahoma daycare and add your first and last name and any emergency info to the bottom or back of this sheet to meet all the requirements.

DHS child care guidelines Oklahoma

You’ll need to take down your old Notice to Parents and Insurance Forms and print out the new ones. Also, you’ll need to print a copy of each one that parents fill out. You’ll need one of each for each family and they must be resigned every year.

Click here for the Notice to Parents to post:

• word document
• need-help-compliance-notification-posting-word
• pdf
  need-help-compliance-notification-posting

Click here for Insurance Form to post:

• word document
• insurance-notification-posting-word
• pdf
• insurance-notification-posting

Click here for Notice to Parents for each family (they’ll have to sign yearly):

• word document
• need-help-compliance-notification-parents-1-word
• pdf
• need-help-compliance-notification-parents

Click here for Insurance Form for each family (they’ll have to sign yearly):

• word document
• insurance-notifcation-parents-word
• pdf
• insurance-notifcation-parents

You’ll also need a new drill form that includes the new drills you’ll have to perform yearly. Those include:

• Monthly Fire Drills
• Monthly Tornado Drills
• Monthly Smoke Detector Test
• Monthly Carbon Monoxide Detector Test
• Expiration of Fire Extinguisher
• Yearly Lock Down Drill
• Yearly Shelter in Place Drill
• Yearly Evacuation Drill
• Yearly Relocation Drill

Click here to print out a copy of mine

little-sprouts-drill-record

The last thing you’ll need to post for Oklahoma daycare is emergency numbers. I used the same sheet at the beginning of the policies and added all my parent’s numbers at the bottom. Make sure it has your address on it.

I guess that’s for when you call 911 and forget where you are. 😉 I printed that out and laminated it and posted it by the phone as required. Once you do that, you’re good to go!

These Oklahoma daycare regulations include a ton of busy work and a little nonsense, but it’s good to be thinking about these things. We need to be prepared for emergencies. I like the idea of parents knowing how I plan to react. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the things listed. I hope this has made the process a little less painful for you!

For more help with contracts and policies, click here. For more links Oklahoma daycare providers need, click here.