OKLAHOMA INSTITUTE FOR CHILD ADVOCACY / From the desk of Joe Dorman
As Oklahoma lawmakers request bills for the 2025 legislative session, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) has finalized its 2025 Children’s Legislative Agenda and delivered it to them.
Approved by the OICA Board of Directors, the agenda outlines the organization’s priorities and presents lawmakers with a roadmap to improve conditions for Oklahoma’s children.
Advocates from across the state came together in late November during our annual Fall Forum to discuss a wide range of issues relating to children. While this is an ambitious agenda, we believe each component of it is critical to improving the lives of our most important resource. This document represents the recommendations made by advocates and our Board of Directors.
The entire agenda is available to the public on our website and can be accessed at https://tinyurl. com/25OICALEGAG.
From the input from child advocates, the OICA Board of Directors considered the suggestions and coalesced them into recommendations divided into four specific categories:
• Support programs and services for foster families and biological parents and guardians.
• Accessibility to health-related services and programs.
• Learning loss and educational opportunities for children.
• Addressing childcare needs. The recommendations include a specific focus on improving services to foster and biological families in rural areas, while encouraging partnerships with private sector agencies. Increased stipends and reimbursement rates for foster care are also a foundation of the recommendations, as is mental health and trauma support. The organization also advocates for legal reforms and enhanced support for biological families, stating that reunification with biological families should be celebrated along with adoption.
The organization also suggests integrating school-based social workers would enhance access to essential services and promote student wellbeing. In addition, the increased availability of health services would address inequities in care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Both the learning loss among students in the wake of the pandemic and the annual learning loss during the summer break were addressed by advocates. Among the suggestions was to enhance school readiness among students entering school for the first time, and to prioritize funding for teacher support, smaller class sizes and paraprofessionals. Additionally, eliminating corporal punishment for students in special needs classifications and reducing the use of out-of-school suspensions was prioritized. In short, the advocates asserted, “Providing safer, more supportive environments fosters positive student outcomes.”
The continued shortage of childcare also received the advocates’ attention. “Improving access to childcare resources strengthens family stability and child development,” the agenda document asserts. In addition, a focus on ensuring “the safety of foster families, providers, and Oklahoma Human Services workers from biological familial threats is paramount to maintaining effective care systems” was included in the agenda.
The final recommendations were to strengthen oversight of childcare facilities in Oklahoma and increasing the Office of Juvenile System Oversight’s authority to conduct periodic inspections of privately operated children’s facilities is essential to ensure accountability, safety, and quality care for vulnerable children.
Release of the annual Children’s Legislative Agenda is the final action the organization takes each year in preparation for the next and is a critical duty of the organization, established the organization to be an independent watchdog on state government in the aftermath of the child welfare scandal brought to light in the Gannett report, “Oklahoma Shame.” That report can be found on OICA’s website.
To kick off the new year, OICA will host its Legislative Learning Lab in late January to help advocates understand the complex procedures of the Oklahoma Legislature. That event will culminate on the opening day of the 2025 session, when Governor Stitt will present is “State of the State” address. The organization’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol will be on March 11.
To register for these events and stay up to date with the latest information on the organization’s child advocacy efforts, go to the OICA website at https://oica.org.
