WHAT IF YOU HAD A DAY TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF OKLAHOMA'S CHILDREN? 

Oklahoma has consistently lingered toward the bottom of state rankings when it comes to reading comprehension with elementary-aged students. Some leaders have offered solutions, and we at the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) agree change is needed, so long as it’s done responsibly. Last year, Senate Bill 362, the Strong Readers Act, changed policy for improving reading sufficiency, removing the “good-cause exemption” for students who do not demonstrate proficiency by the third grade. Some support reinstating third grade retention, using Mississippi as an example. The so-called “Mississippi Miracle” refers to their significant improvement in metrics, particularly fourth grade reading comprehension, over the last decade. This turnaround is attributed to bold reforms like an early literacy law that emphasizes phonics and includes third-grade retention for students who cannot read at grade level. Other contributing factors include using literacy coaches, mandating reading screenings, focusing on high expectations and student progress, and a necessity for providing opportunities to succeed – all which cost money. Mississippi has consistently been the poorest state in the United States for decades, and by a significant margin. It has the highest percentage of Americans living in poverty and places last or nearly last on a wide variety of metrics, to the point that the phrase, “Thank God for Mississippi,” is often used in other low-performing states as Mississippi usually spares them the shame of being dead last. Mississippi decided that being a laughingstock was unacceptable, and they did many things right. For Oklahoma, poor reading scores should be similarly unacceptable. If we want to see success with those young students who first must “learn to read” before they “read to learn,” then we need to do it the correct way long before third grade. First, leaders must invest in the right priorities. Policies should not simply hold children back who are behind in third grade so fourth grade levels show improvement, falsely implying success. Those retained third graders did not go away; we simply tested fewer children by isolating those who lacked earlier reading support. Holding back a third grader can cost the school district as much as $10,000 per year, according to Business Insider and the Education Commission of the States. For reading comprehension, real solutions will not be found overnight, and in fact, doing it wrong will cost the state significantly more, both in dollars and long-term problems. For the child, the trauma associated with being held back will impact them for the rest of their lives, spelling out point-blank to them that they are a failure, not that the system failed them. Retention also leads to increased dropout rates when the child cannot move forward. Students who cannot read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma, according to a 2011 study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Half the states and the District of Columbia have statewide reading initiatives requiring schools to retain students who do not read on grade level by the end of third grade; however, several states, like Michigan, have relaxed or suspended the retention provisions of their laws. A study conducted last year found Michigan school districts spent about $2,600 per-student-per-year implementing a reading initiative, including interventions like tutoring and summer school for students at risk of being held back, and for those who did repeat a grade. Policymakers must ensure funding is in place to support whatever policy they decide to enact. That includes having qualified educators in the classroom who understand reading fundamentals, such as phonics, rather than emergency certified teachers and semi-permanent substitutes, at these earlier grade levels. OICA wholeheartedly supports and encourages policies which will aid young children with achieving an elevated level of reading comprehension. Let’s learn from the mistakes made by other states and do it in a way which elevates learning, not just test scores.

The work done by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA), while always rewarding, can sometimes be stressful, and occasionally downright depressing. The statistics and real-world conversations about the things which impact children often wear on our team as we work to improve children’s lives. Still, one of the best and brightest parts of our work offsets the gloominess is our work on the Kid Governor® and 4-H Junior Governor programs. Through these projects, we see the hope these young Oklahomans have for a better future; that reinvigorates us, knowing we truly are making a difference. OICA helped initiate the original concept in 2015 with the selection of a young person to serve in the role of Kid Governor in conjunction with another nonprofit organization. The program morphed into the current project with the selection of our sixth Kid Governor. We partnered with the Connecticut Democracy Project to provide lesson plans for 5th grade teachers to use to better educate their students about government, the need to better understand civics, and the importance of voting once they turn 18. Last year, teachers were concerned about the program and all the classrooms which had normally participated had chosen to withdraw from the program. OICA pivoted to partner with Oklahoma 4-H to continue this program through a one-day conference for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders enrolled in their organization, which yielded an impressive slate of young leaders to fulfill that role for 2025. I want to thank Kid Governor® Emma Stephens from Ardmore; Kid Lt. Gov. Shawn Ferrell from Orlando; Kid Secretary of State Lawson Ream from Alva; and Kid Cabinet members Clayton Rohla from Roff, Ryan Young from Chickasha, Koda White from Vici, Alburto Harmon from Perry, and Harper Witt from Antlers for their work this year. For 2026, OICA was able to continue this 4-H partnership and rebuild our classroom component, allowing us to operate two separate opportunities for youth. The 4-H Junior Governor conference with more than 40 students in attendance selected their leaders November 1; our classroom Kid Governor® program completed its election just last week, with 1,187 students going through the lesson plans. Oklahoma’s Kid Governor® for 2026 is Katelyn Talley, a 5th grader from Valliant in southeastern Oklahoma. Her platform is animal abuse prevention. The Kid Lieutenant Governor is Sophia Chavarria Rivera, a 5th grader from Bethany, and her platform is the prevention of bullying. The Kid Secretary of State is Daphne Tanequodle, a 5th grader from Lawton, who was elected with a platform of addressing homelessness. The winners of the 4-H Junior Governor elections, their schools, and platforms are: • Junior Governor Riley Braden, from Brisco in Creek County. Riley is home schooled and ran on a platform to protect and promote the sanctity of life. • Junior Lieutenant Governor is Whitlee Moser from Perkins in Payne County. Whitlee attends Perkins Tryon Intermediate School and ran on a platform of education. • Junior Secretary of State is Riley Rudder from Fort Towson. Riley attends Rattan Elementary in Pushmataha County and ran on a platform of turtle conservation • The first Junior Cabinet Member is Lizzie Marlin from Adair in Mayes County. Lizzie attends Bernita Hughes Elementary and ran on the platform of smoking prevention and education. • The second Junior Cabinet Member is Victoria Justice from Depew in Creek County. Victoria is homeschooled and her platform is to prevent debt collectors from making spam calls. The student leaders will be inaugurated during a ceremony at the State Capitol on February 2, 2026, the opening day of the Oklahoma Legislature’s session. For more information about how you can help support the Kid Governor® program with a donation that helps provide mileage reimbursement for the students and allow us to operate the program, contact OICA at info@oica.org or call (405) 236-KIDS (5437). 

2026 Kid Governor Katelyn Talley (left) & 2026 Junior Governor Riley Braden

Advocates Focus on Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family & Community

In October, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) held our Fall Forum, a conference which annually assembles delegates for sharing ideas and brainstorming solutions for the many issues facing the children of our state. The theme this year tied in with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Report, a review of state statistics which uniformly look at how well states are performing on 16 different metrics under four different categories – Economic Well-being, Education, Health, and Family & Community assessments. Overall, Oklahoma ranks 46th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in child well-being. The delegates looked at ideas previously proposed by lawmakers, along with shaping creative solutions for problematic youth issues through policy. Experts presented on subjects associated with the four categories and shared their data about where the state is succeeding or falling short on addressing difficulties. In Economic Well-Being, the delegates suggested improvements for affordable housing policies to increase family stability and reduce homelessness and chronic absenteeism in school attendance, designed to improve educational outcomes. Another aspect was to support lawmakers’ efforts to expand paid family leave programs to help parents – those who are biological, foster, or adoptive – to better acclimate parents to the responsibilities in raising children. A third point was to enhance the child tax credit, allowing it to be refundable with reasonable income phase-outs. In the area of Education, a hotly debated category in recent years, advocates suggested the establishment and expansion of quality, affordable afterschool programs statewide for all grades. There was also the desire to require trauma-based education for future teachers and in continuing development requirements. Another conversation was to establish and adequately fund reading improvement programs to help ensure students are able to read at grade level and not be held back a grade. With Health, suggestions included that the state mandate child-safe laws to protect young Oklahomans by ensuring packaging and marketing of edible marijuana products is age-appropriate, and to provide access to prescription lockboxes for families at an affordable price. Further, advocates recommended expanding the “Food is Medicine Act” to support those with chronic diseases and other health concerns. They further promoted the adoption of a dental therapist program to help expand care throughout Oklahoma where there is limited access to care, with oversight provided by a dentist. The Family and Community category encouraged the creation of “Child Protection Courts” like the model in Texas, which would reduce the timeframe of issues in the courts involving children and also give judges specialized training and access to resources to help resolve concerns involving custody and other family-related cases. Another point suggested was to fund and sustain “family resource centers” which have been created to increase access to local supports such as referrals, transportation, and other vital services which are barriers to success. Other recommendations were for improving nutrition programs to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables, accepting federal funds to provide summer feeding opportunities for youth directly, and to add further interventions for pre-arrest community programs for both youth and parents in partnership with local businesses and civic organizations. These items and the many others included can be found on our website at https://tinyurl.com/2026OICACLA . We will work with lawmakers to draft legislation and seek funding support for those which are taken up as bills or agency policies in the 2026 session. OICA will also assist other organizations to ensure that legislation seeking to enhance beneficial youth-based policies move through the state capitol successfully. Please follow along with our weekly Thursday newsletter, to which you can subscribe for free, at https://www.oica.org . 

I want to start by saying “thank you” to the governor and Oklahoma’s legislative leaders for the commitment to allocate $1 million in state funds per week over the next seven weeks to the two major food banks to assist with food distribution during the suspension of SNAP benefits. This will help many Oklahoma families who are struggling. Now, as Paul Harvey used to say, let’s look at the rest of the story. The normal monthly allocation from the feds to Oklahoma for SNAP is more than $120 million per month for the 684,000 people in our state who receive benefits. At the level which the state will provide, that only equals to be $5.85 per person per month for every Oklahoman who is on SNAP. Additionally, the food banks cannot reach every person on SNAP, and there is no specific requirement this supplement will go only to SNAP recipients due to added demands with so many government employees furloughed. With their families in need, there will be increased demand upon our food banks, statewide and local. What they can do is leverage your donation for larger amounts of food, so this is a worthy effort. In some good news, two separate federal judges ordered the Trump Administration to use contingency funds designed to pay SNAP benefits when money is short. This is not a new thing; these funds have been used by every other administration to cover SNAP during government shutdowns. Leaders said they would not appeal the decisions, meaning SNAP could start being at least partially funded later this week. Even with this, please do what you can to help those in your community because people are likely to face even greater struggles with Thanksgiving and other holidays coming soon. This is not the only major concern right now for American families. Enhanced premium subsides for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are slated to end, causing premium costs to skyrocket for many enrollees by approximately 26% in 2026. These tax credits, passed several years ago, and extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act, are set to expire. These credits lowered costs for many and made previously ineligible middle-income individuals eligible for insurance at a reduced cost. Those Americans with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level will lose eligibility for the enhanced credits without congressional action, forcing these significant premium hikes. Many lower-income enrollees in ACA insurance also will endure an increase in their out-of-pocket costs, something they cannot afford. Without these tax credits, many will have to end health insurance coverage altogether due to higher costs, leading to more uninsured individuals seeking emergency care and potentially straining hospitals to the point of closure, as we have already seen in Oklahoma. This is a central point of debate in the federal government shutdown. Many Democrat officials are refusing to vote reopen the government unless negotiations on these subsides are continued. They believe this provides leverage for them to demand the continuation of these subsidies and to lower costs for those on ACA insurance. In contrast, many Republicans do not feel this is a role of government and should be left to the private sector to meet needs, with ACA and SNAP alike. Those wanting compromise are being drowned out by the fringe sides of both political ideologies seeking a “win” on these issues. Meanwhile, American families are facing cuts to food support, increased health insurance costs, and for government employees, a loss of their paycheck until the shutdown ends. Please reach out to your elected leaders and share your own story about how this is impacting you, as these officials depend upon your vote to continue in office and receive their own paychecks following next November’s elections. 

The federal government entered a shutdown on Oct. 1 when Congress failed to pass the required 12 annual appropriations bills or agree on a short-term funding patch called a continuing resolution. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a part of this. SNAP helps nearly 42 million Americans purchase much needed food each month – more than one out every 10 citizens. Funds will expire Nov. 1 for most states, including Oklahoma. Benefits have continued because money for October was allocated to states before the shutdown began. In local terms, SNAP aids more than 684,000 Oklahomans according to Oklahoma Human Services, the state agency which maintains local oversight of this program. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website reports, “USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works to end hunger and promote nutrition through the administration of 15 federal nutrition assistance programs including Women Infants and Children (WIC), SNAP, and school meals. In partnership with State and Tribal governments, FNS programs serve one in four Americans during the course of a typical year.” While much has been covered regarding SNAP benefits lapsing, it is important to be aware that each of these programs will be impacted unless Congress acts to end the shutdown soon. WIC is currently being kept afloat by a $150 million contingency fund, but experts warn that it could halt soon without a budget agreement. The National WIC Association has indicated the program will run out of funding within one or two weeks if the shutdown continues. The same is true for school meal programs. If the shutdown continues, it could lead to significant disruptions in public schools’ ability to provide meals for students. While USDA’s reimbursements to schools (for breakfast and lunch programs) will continue for the short term due to use of carryover funds, many of USDA staff, whose jobs range from reviewing school meal reimbursements to issuing new grants (also temporarily halted), are now on unpaid furlough. Should the shutdown continue for much longer, reimbursements will slow down or stop, creating cash-flow problems for local school districts. A few states have already suspended their SNAP benefits programs. The only way for states to intervene and continue assistance would be for governors and state legislatures across the nation to call themselves into session and use available state funds to provide temporary relief to impacted state agencies and those they serve. Thus far, no state has even suggested that course of action, likely due to no federal commitment to replace those state allocations should they occur. As that deadline approaches, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) recommends that those impacted use remaining SNAP benefits to purchase allowable items as you will not be able to access any currently available funds after Oct. 31. Use your benefits to purchase shelf-stable items such as pinto beans, rice, and other such products which can provide stability until the shutdown ends. Those in need may also seek support through local resources. To find a program which provides aid close to you, go to http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/ for western Oklahoma and https://www.okfoodbank.org/ for the eastern part of the state. Additionally, some restaurants have even offered free meals to families in need and who have lost their benefits; check local news to see if any restaurants in your community are participating. I will also add that while every nonprofit organization is currently facing budget woes, please consider donating to a food assistance program in your community. Churches and nonprofits are only able to provide food with what funds they have available, and support is critical for those who are struggling..

Just over one month ago, notice was issued that the federal government had paused the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), an annual fundraising effort that has contributed billions of dollars to charitable organizations since it was established more than 60 years ago. This became a temporary halt to allow efforts to continue this year, but notice was served that significant change would be coming. Usually beginning in September, members of the federal sector — including employees, retirees, and contractors — select charitable organizations in which to donate money or volunteer their time to support nonprofit work. This provides a level of support for organizations to build budgets for the upcoming year’s work. In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the “President’s Committee on Fund-Raising Within the Federal Service” to review and modify the fund-raising program. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10927, which gave authority to the United States Civil Service Commission to organize nonprofit solicitations of federal government employees. Kennedy’s executive order was eventually replaced by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 when he created the modern Combined Federal Campaign under the United States Office of Personnel Management. Nonprofits must meet specific eligibility criteria set by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the CFC team. These criteria include the organization’s existence for at least three years, its ability to provide real services, and its commitment to engaging federal employees in philanthropy. Nonprofits must also apply through the CFC’s online application system and may need to apply annually. The CFC team manages the charity application process, ensuring that only eligible organizations can participate in the campaign. Around $9 billion has been given to approved charities since its inception, and CFC has allowed federal employees to donate to charities of their choice, peaking in 2009 with about $282 million in donations. The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) has received modest sums in the past from supporters through our numbers (federal - 58911 and state - 8041) for campaigns. Many organizations with higher profiles receive substantial sums which could significantly diminish their mission if this funding stream were eliminated. We certainly understand concerns overseeing the program form CFC. In a statement issued by President Trump’s OPM Director Scott Kupor, donations have declined in recent years, and administrative costs have grown to oversee the program, which in turn sends fewer funds to nonprofits that also have administrative costs. They also indicated CFC made sense pre-internet – when donors lacked more automated and efficient ways to direct dollars to their favorite charities. While these concerns are certainly valid, we at OICA feel this is a program worthy of retention. CFC allows employees to learn more about different nonprofit organizations through workplace events. It is a simple task to itemize deductions on Schedule A of Form 1040 when dealing with your own taxes. The above-the-line deduction for cash donations to qualified charities reinstated in 2026 will make sense for giving. Charities that rely on regular funding from employees will likely benefit more from employee donations, thus providing a sustainable and stable source of income for the nonprofit’s work, thereby reducing fundraising expenses for the nonprofit. Organizations with a strong sense of community and employee involvement in charitable activities may find it beneficial to support their employees' charitable contributions through a matching dollar program. Offering matching gifts can incentivize employees to contribute more, which can be a win-win for both the charity and the employee. In a difficult time for charitable nonprofits, we strongly encourage those decision makers at the federal level to weigh the cost and the benefit of CFC. We hope they can find a way to continue support through this process in a streamlined manner that does not diminish the work done for children and other services through charitable giving.

With the federal government “shutdown” of services continuing, one likely outcome will be that Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, subsidies will end or be reduced. Should this happen, the burden for health insurance coverage will fall to the states to decide. Fortunately, one opportunity exists in Oklahoma which provides a way for employers, employees, and state government to elevate health insurance coverage for those in the workforce. In April 2004, Senate Bill 1546, authored by Sen. Ben Robinson and Rep. M.C. Leist, authorized the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to develop a program assisting employees of small businesses, 19 to 64 years of age with either (1) a portion of their private health plan premiums (Employer Sponsored Insurance), or (2) the purchase of a state sponsored health plan operated under the state Medicaid program (Individual Plan). The goal was to provide affordable health insurance for 50,000 low-wage Oklahomans in the workforce. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority administers the Insure Oklahoma program. The agency balances this fiscal responsibility with two equally important goals: 1) Assuring that state-purchased health care meets acceptable standards of care; and 2) Ensuring that citizens of Oklahoma who rely on state-purchased health care are served positively. The Affordable Care Act made a program like Insure Oklahoma redundant, but if the federal government rolls back provisions, this is a way in which health insurance can continue for those in the workforce For employer qualifications: · Have up to 250 (for profit) or 500 (non-profit) employees. · Be located in Oklahoma. · Offer a qualified benefit plan. · Contribute at least 25 percent of premiums for qualified employees. · Health insurance must be billed from the first of calendar month to the end of the calendar month (not mid-month). For the employee: · Be between the ages of 19 and 64. · Be an Oklahoma resident and meet citizenship guidelines. · Have an annual gross household income within the Employer-Sponsored Insurance income guidelines. · Not enrolled in Medicare or SoonerCare (Medicaid). · Contribute up to 15 percent of monthly premium cost for self, and up to 15 percent of premium cost for qualified dependents (not to exceed three percent of annual gross household income). While Democrats created this, Republican lawmakers saw the benefit of having healthy Oklahomans at work and modified several categories. In 2007, the program was expanded to include self-employed Oklahomans, certain unemployed individuals and working individuals with no access to small group health coverage. In 2009, this program was further expanded to include full-time college students within qualifying income guidelines who are ages 19-22, and increased the Employer Sponsored Insurance (ESI) to with up to 99 employees. Additional changes allowed coverage for dependent children for Insure Oklahoma members who fell between 186 to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, and the number of employees for a business was expanded to 250. Then the state authorized the ability to submit applications online. Expansion allowed non-profit organizations with more than 250 employees to be allowable. Current income thresholds provide a significant barrier. For a single person, the maximum annual income (MAI) is only $35,700 to qualify. For a household a two, the annual income cap is $48,228. For three, the MAI is $60,756; for four, $73,320; and for a family of five, $85,848. For this to apply to current income levels and keep workers insured, lawmakers would need to elevate the payroll threshold for coverage. I encourage our state leaders to look at this program or similar opportunities to do whatever is possible to help keep employed Oklahomans healthy and thriving. A healthier workforce means stability, productivity and allows parents to not deal with astronomical healthcare costs.