OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, authored a new law that took effect on Nov. 1 which establishes the first Early Childhood Taskforce in Oklahoma. 

HB 1979 creates a taskforce that will look into how Oklahoma governs early childhood programs and finds solutions to improving Oklahoma children's care, health, and education rankings.

“By consolidating and streamlining government services for early childhood, we aim to make targeted investments to better the outcomes for Oklahoma children,” Ranson said. “Families should be able to easily access the services they need and trust that those services will be optimized and properly funded to provide the best opportunities for our children. I look forward to working with this taskforce to fix the childcare crisis long-term, better prepare our children for school, and promote healthy living for all Oklahoma families.” 

Ranson originally filed this bill in 2025, but when it did not receive a hearing, she conducted an interim study that Fall to show how an Early Childhood Taskforce can identify gaps, inefficiencies, and redundancies within services for Oklahoma families. Oklahoma currently has 19 different programs through six different agencies. The task force aims to look at how early childcare, health, and education agencies can work collaboratively so families can navigate these services easier.

The 18-member task force includes the heads of the Department of Human Services, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Department of Commerce, the State Department of Education, and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services or their designees, as well as a broad range of members with expertise and various community stakeholders, such as caregivers, educators, and health experts.

Members of the Early Childhood Taskforce are:

• Jaesha Quarrels, DHS
• Mendy Spohn, OSDH
• Paula Brown, HeadStart
• Rori Hodges, OSDE
• Heather Cox, OHCA
• Deborah Givens, No Man’s Land Foods LLC
• Mandi Coleman, St. Luke’s Children’s Center
• Karen Tilkin, CAP Tulsa
• Melanie D. Anderegg, The Parent’s Child Center Tulsa
• Grace Kelley, Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness
• Elizabeth Ging, Edmond Public Schools
• Representative Trish Ranson
• Senator Christi Gillespie
• Dr. Stephanie Hinton, Oklahoma Association for the Education of Young Children
• Jenny Thom Hester, SoonerStart Interagency Coordinating Council
• Dr. Amanda McCabe, Professor of Early Childhood, OSU
• Dr. Michael Steiner, Pediatrician, OU College of Medicine
• Dr. Tessa Chesher, Pediatric Psychiatrist, Oklahoma Complete Health 

Currently, 26 other states have implemented similar measures and are seeing positive results. 

At the end of a two-year time period, the task force will have model legislation prepared to best carve out programs from existing agencies into an agency entity that solely focuses on early childhood care, health, and education services. 

The Early Childhood Taskforce will host its first meeting on December 1, 2026, at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

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