On October 25, Mayor Bynum issued a proclamation recognizing Childcare and Working Families Day Month for the month of October, highlighting the importance of supporting working families and promoting family-friendly workplace policies and collaborative efforts from employers, government, and community organizations to increase access to affordable, high-quality childcare options. The proclamation is in partnership with the Tulsa Women's Commissions, a Title V Commission through the City.

 

In conjunction with the proclamation, the Tulsa Women’s Commission has published a comprehensive Childcare Report that focuses on the issue of childcare access and affordability as a barrier for women entering, staying, and advancing in the workforce. The report illustrates both the current issues many families face when finding reliable childcare and provides recommendations that businesses and employers can offer to help address some of the most common challenges for childcare.

 

“This report is a great example of the work dedicated volunteers are doing as they serve on one of the many Authorities, Boards, and Commissions at the City of Tulsa,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum. "I am grateful for all of the work the Tulsa Women’s Commission has done so far and I am excited to see the impact it has on families in Tulsa.”

 

"Finding high-quality and affordable childcare is one of the biggest challenges for working caregivers working in cities across the nation, and Tulsa is no exception," said Tulsa Women's Commission Chair Lara Latta. "Though a gap in childcare availability is a challenge for all caregivers, women, and especially women of color, are most frequently and significantly impacted by it. Together, we can work across industries and systems to identify strategies and solutions to care for our children, families, and professionals across the city. It truly requires a community-wide effort."

 

“Childcare is the most important issue facing the Tulsa workforce today,” said previous Tulsa Women’s Commission Chair Mary Quinn Cooper. “Addressing this challenge takes commitment from community leaders in both public and private sectors. We are proud of the work that the Tulsa Women’s Commission has done in identifying solutions that leaders can adopt in an effort to address these critical issues and maintain a healthy and confident work force.”

 

The Commission conducted a comprehensive study to assess childcare access throughout the city and hosted three forums featuring childcare experts who collaborated to identify potential solutions to bridge the childcare gap. Based on the findings from the study and the input from the expert forums, the commission has created a set of recommendations aimed at scaling childcare access citywide.

 

The recommendations focus on promoting family-friendly workplace policies, increasing access to affordable high-quality childcare, developing an integrated childcare support system, incentivizing caregiver supports for employers, and addressing childcare challenges collaboratively.

 

The City of Tulsa is committed to creating a family-friendly workplace and pursuing employee policies that allow employees to have better access to childcare resources.

 

The full report and recommendations can be found online at cityoftulsa.org/womenscommission.