Cherokee Nation invests millions in new daycares to tackle childcare shortage

CATOOSA, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation is working to address a critical childcare shortage that leaders say is keeping some parents, especially women, out of the workforce.

The tribe recently opened child development centers in Pryor and Sallisaw, and opened another facility next to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The new $22 million center offers extended hours, and Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says it could eventually operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But he says the tribe's investment in childcare is far from over.

The Cherokee Nation has also launched its 21st Century Childcare Initiative, a $50 million plan that includes two new child development centers in Vinita and Tahlequah, along with a $10 million expansion of an existing facility in Tahlequah.

I spoke with a Hard Rock employee who says having childcare close to work is life-changing for her family.

"I've been waiting on this forever. I've been at Hard Rock for 7 years now. My youngest is 2 and a half. He's running around here. It's having a place where I can take him where I know that if he needs me, I am just across the parking lot. It means everything to me as a working mom. I can focus and not have to stress out knowing that he is right near me. If I need him, I know he's taken care of," Kristin Westbrook said.

Hoskin says the tribe also plans to invest $1 million each year to support private childcare providers. He says expanding access to quality childcare will require both tribal and private sector investment.

Hoskin says the Cherokee Nation is prioritizing communities with the greatest childcare shortages, and he says Rogers County is one of those areas.

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