In 1998, Spring Butler was laid off from her job in Tulsa. With one son and another on the way, she took her company’s closure as an opportunity to start fresh and bring much needed childcare services to the region.
Butler opened Spring’s Day Care out of her home 40 miles southeast of Tulsa in rural Wagoner and welcomed families. “It was a statewide struggle to find childcare,” Butler says. “You would go to a place, and they would shut down and you would go to another organization, and they would shut down too.”
More than half of Oklahomans currently live in a childcare desert. In rural areas, that figure is closer to 70%.
Now in its 27th year, Spring’s Day Care welcomes children up to age 12, teaching social skills and a daily curriculum with zero screen time. Butler includes weekly yoga sessions and sound experiments for her kids.
This year, with support of a $75,000 investment from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Spring’s Day Care is receiving a new outdoor learning environment to provide kids with quality learning opportunities outside. The space will include playground equipment and areas to practice creativity and develop fine motor skills.
The grant is part of BCBSOK’s Blue ImpactSM program targeting social and economic factors that influence health, including outdoor spaces vital to better health outcomes.
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is happy to support The Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness in their work to create high quality and unique learning opportunities for children in rural areas of the state,” says Brooke Townsend, BCBSOK’s community affairs director. “Through our focus on neighborhood and built environment, we invest in safe outdoor spaces for children and adults to thrive and this grant allows us to positively impact the health of children in Wagoner County.”
BCBSOK awarded the grant to The Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness, which is coordinating a statewide $2.6 million funding initiative to build 29 outdoor learning environments at childcare facilities across Oklahoma. The state-run organization coordinates public and private partnerships and efforts promoting better outcomes for children and families, including access to early care and education.
“We want children to be healthy,” says Carrie Williams, executive director of Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness. “We want them to run and play and explore, and this outdoor learning environment encourages that and emphasizes our support for the childcare space and the health and well-being of children.”
Outdoor play is linked to a number of health benefits for children, including improved motor development, lower obesity rates and positive behavior, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“At Spring’s Day Care, our mission is to foster an engaging and nurturing environment where children can develop essential skills and a love for learning,” Butler says. “If you’ve never seen 2-year-olds follow directions, much less do yoga poses in sync, it’s amazing to see.”