City of Tulsa

Mayor's Office of Children, Youth, and Families

“Every kid in our community deserves a chance at a bright future and I’m happy to formally commit ourselves to this work by institutionalizing a dedicated office for children, youth, and families here at City Hall,” Mayor Nichols said. “By prioritizing this work, we are setting a bold direction for our city and I’m eager to see the opportunities this will bring to so many in Tulsa.”

- Mayor Monroe Nichols IV

Pre-K for All Campaign to Increase Enrollment for Four-Year-Olds

The City of Tulsa will launch its Pre-K for All campaign, a citywide initiative designed to increase enrollment among eligible four-year-olds and strengthen kindergarten readiness across Tulsa.

The campaign is led by the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families (MOCYF) and is supported by community partners, school districts, and early childhood advocates across the city. Through the campaign, families can now access PreKTulsa.com, a one-stop website that helps parents enroll their children in their district’s Pre-K program.

“Preparing children for success starts long before the first day of kindergarten,” said Mayor Monroe Nichols. “Every child deserves a good start, but too many families don’t know free, full day Pre-K is available or how to sign up. This campaign cuts through the confusion."

Currently, approximately 68 percent of eligible four-year-olds in Tulsa are enrolled in Pre-K. The City and its partners aim to increase that number to at least 75 percent, with the long-term goal of universal access for all eligible children. Read the full press release

Tulsa Children & Youth Statistics

Children who thrive academically and socially are three (3) times more likely to succeed in their future endeavors, contributing to Tulsa’s economic growth and resilience
3,000 students annually face eviction filings—most acutely impacting our youngest learners and students of color—by aligning resources to support housing and attendance
There is a network of organizations that use data-driven approaches to identify areas of growth, track progress, and scale interventions that make the greatest impact on children’s academic, mental health, and social outcomes; some of these areas of growth include increasing PreK enrollment from 68% to 75% and doubling the percentage of early grade readers on track to proficiency (up from 27% currently);
Commitment to youth is bolstered by strong networks of Tulsa area schools, community organizations, faith-based institutions, and early childhood education programs, all of which are integral to fostering whole-child development
Fostering children's healthy development and family well-being will depend on consistent, efficient and effective coordination of effort between and among the government agencies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions and many others, whose services, programs and delivery systems must collectively address the needs of the whole child and their family

Additional resources for data on Tulsa’s Children and Youth:

Mayor’s Office of Children Youth and Families (MOCYF)

MOCYF is responsible for implementing a strategic plan to ensure that an additional 15,000 Tulsa children and youth are on a path to economic mobility and thriving by 2030.

MOCYF has contracted with local cradle to career nonprofit organization, ImpactTulsa operate the office and staff the Tulsa Children’s Cabinet. The Office will serve as a collaborative hub for improving outcomes for Tulsa’s children and families by aligning cross-sector efforts, leveraging data-driven solutions, and mobilizing community resources.

In its first year, the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families focused on building the civic infrastructure needed to improve child and youth outcomes. This included establishing the Children’s Cabinet, launching the Action Alliances, and beginning to normalize a whole‑of‑city approach to supporting student success.

Read more about MOCYF’s first year online.

In its second year, MOCYF will strengthen the Tulsa Children’s Cabinet’s governance, secure funding for and launch Action Alliance‑led pilots, and continue advancing policy, program, and practice changes that drive sustained improvements in student outcomes.

Mayor's Office of Children, Youth, and Families Updates

MOCYF - Quarterly Update to the Tulsa City Council - October 2025

Tulsa Children's Cabinet

The Tulsa Children’s Cabinet, established in May 2025, brings cross‑sector leaders together to improve outcomes for Tulsa’s children. Currently about 100,000 Tulsa children and youth are meeting certain milestones identified as stepping- stones to economic mobility. We need an additional 15,000 more to be on this path.

United around this goal, the Tulsa Children’s Cabinet includes representatives from the systems and institutions shaping children’s environments and opportunities. It also convenes Action Alliances—groups of individuals, organizations, and educational institutions that directly serve children, youth, and families.

The Action Alliances provide the Children’s Cabinet critical insight into the barriers to economic mobility facing children and youth, as well as potential solutions to system and policy challenges. Many Alliance members already participate in citywide initiatives, working groups, and cross‑disciplinary teams focused on the same issues the Cabinet aims to address. Action Alliances ensure on‑the‑ground experience directly informs decisions that system leaders are uniquely positioned to make, such as resource allocation, policy changes, and investment priorities.

In February of 2026 the Tulsa Children’s Cabinet voted to focus on four priority areas that have an impact on the economic mobility of Tulsa’s children and youth:

Transportation
Housing
Literacy
Youth workforce

Tulsa Children’s Cabinet Members
Anna America | City of Tulsa - Department of Parks and Recreation | Proxy - Hunter Michelsen
Alison Anthony | Tulsa Area United Way
Susana Argueta-Acosta | Student, Union Public Schools
Tomas Barrientos | Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Michael Branan | Green Country Workforce | Proxy - Larod Snyder
Marcia Bruno Todd | Leadership Tulsa; Tulsa Youth Council
Stacey Butterfield | Jenks Public Schools
Leslie Cardiel | Student, Union Public Schools
Nancy Curry | Zarrow Family Foundation
Aaron Darden | Tulsa Housing Authority
Bruce Dart | Tulsa Health Department
Jackie DuPont | Coretz Family Foundation
Angela Durant-Tyson | Tulsa Tech
Jamaal Dyer | Friendship Baptist Church
John Federline | Union Public Schools
Lillian Geld | Student, Booker T. Washington
Karen Gilbert | Tulsa City Council
Elizabeth Hall | Burnstein Family Foundation
Keith Hall | Tulsa County Juvenile Bureau
Vanessa Hall Harper | Tulsa City Council
Dion'trae Hayes | City of Tulsa - Department of Resilience and Equity
David Hill | Muskogee Nation | Proxy - Carmin Tecumseh-Williams
Chuck Hoskin, Jr. | Cherokee Nation | Proxies - Kim Teehee & Weston Cox
Ebony Johnson | Tulsa Public Schools
Bill Knight | Tulsa Regional Chamber
Laura Latta | Tulsa Higher Education Consortium
Scott Marr | Tulsa Transit
Jabraan Pasha | Office of Health and Well-being | Proxy - Amy McGehee
Ashley Philippsen | City of Tulsa - Mayor's Office of Children Youth and Families
Krystal Reyes | City of Tulsa - Mayor’s Office
Laurel Roberts | City of Tulsa - Commissioner of Public Safety in the Mayor’s Office
Geoffrey Standing Bear Osage Nation | Proxy - Teresa Bledsoe
Elsie Urueta | Tulsa Charter Schools - Tulsa Honor Academy
Annie Van Hanken | George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) | Proxy: Cynthia Jasso
Andrea Walker | Human Rights Commission
Rose Washington-Jones | Tulsa Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) | Proxy - Dr. Joyce McClellan

For more information or to learn how to get involved please email the Mayor's Office of Children, Youth, and Families.

Action Alliances
The Action Alliances provide the Children’s Cabinet critical insight into the barriers to economic mobility facing children and youth, as well as potential solutions to system and policy challenges. Many Alliance members already participate in citywide initiatives, working groups, and cross‑disciplinary teams focused on the same issues the Cabinet aims to address. Action Alliances ensure on‑the‑ground experience directly informs decisions that system leaders are uniquely positioned to make, such as resource allocation, policy changes, and investment priorities.

Mayor's Office of Children, Youth, and Families

Share