10/14/2026
Being a childcare owner in Oklahoma right now is scary. The rules, regulations, risks, uncertainty, rising costs, and, let’s be honest, the constant feeling that we have a target on our backs can make you stop and ask yourself, “Why do we even do this?”
I can tell you exactly what reminds me why.
Every time I start to think that way, all I have to do is walk through the doors of our center, and I am quickly reminded.
Our teachers are some of the most loving, caring people I have ever known.
I can pick up a fussy baby, and before I even say a word, the teacher can tell me exactly what that baby needs. I have watched our teachers cry when a little one gets hurt. I have watched them hold babies through an entire nap while their arms go numb because that baby needs the comfort of being held. I have watched them give extra hugs simply because a child needs a little more love that day.
I have watched them come in on weekends to rearrange classrooms, deep clean to keep their kids healthy, and surprise the children with new toys just to make their little worlds a little more exciting.
At staff meetings, we talk about these kids like they are our own. We laugh at their stories, talk about which ones have been giving us a run for our money, celebrate their milestones, and worry about them when something isn’t quite right.
We know their personalities. Their favorite things. What makes them laugh. What comforts them when they’re sad. We know when they need a little extra patience, a little extra grace, and a whole lot of love.
And that is what people don’t always see when they look at childcare.
We see teachers who pour their hearts into children who aren’t biologically theirs but who are loved as if they were.
And that is why we keep going.
Not because it is easy.
We keep going because these children deserve it. These families need it. And these teachers make a difference that cannot be measured.
-Firm Foundation