Early Childhood Program

The Early Childhood Program provides resources and coordination for preventive health and safety services to child care providers, teachers, and early childhood professionals regarding infants and young children. In addition, the early childhood program serves in collaborative partnerships with other state agencies and organizations that are striving to provide the best opportunity for children to grow up safe and healthy in a nurturing environment.

Target Population: Newborn – eight years, parents, grandparents, community members, and early childhood caregivers.

• Good Health Handbook – a valuable tool for child care providers, parents, and teachers that includes information about injury prevention, infection control, childhood conditions and illnesses, as well as positive guidance and setting limits. The Good Health Handbook is a useful resource for all types of child care programs and schools working with and caring for children, and is developed by OSDH.
• Preparing for a Lifetime, It's Everyone's Responsibility  Learn what you can do to help ensure the health and safety of Oklahoma's babies.
• The Center for Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD)
  • Supports individuals who work in licensed child care programs throughout Oklahoma
  • Has an online system that recognizes and documents professional development in the early care and education field (Oklahoma Professional Development Registry)
• The Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (OPSR)
  • Serves as Oklahoma’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council
  • Administers the Oklahoma Clearinghouse for Early Childhood Success – a collection of national and local research and evidence-based resources across several early childhood domains that can be replicated to better support children and families. 
  • Administers the PDG B-5 (Preschool Development Grant Birth through 5) Renewal which will allow Oklahoma to expand access to early childhood services for children, particularly those in high-need communities, and create seamless early learning experiences from birth through third grade. 
• Child Guidance is here to help families and caregivers address current concerns, understand their child's developmental needs, encourage nurturing relationships, and ensure a healthy future for children, families, and the community.
• SoonerStart is Oklahoma’s early intervention program designed to meet the needs of families with infants or toddlers (ages birth to 3 years old) with developmental delays and/or disabilities in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The program builds upon and provides supports and resources to assist family members to enhance infants or toddler’s learning and development through every day learning opportunities. 
• The Oklahoma Warmline is a program for families, child care providers, and other caregivers where callers can receive consultation and support around the difficult job of caring for and nurturing infants, toddlers, and school-aged children birth to 13 as they grow and develop.

• Caring for Our Children: National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education
  • Caring for Our Children, (CFOC) is a collection of national standards that represent the best practices, based on evidence, expertise, and experience, for quality health and safety policies and practices in early care and education settings.

• Healthy Children
  • HealthyChildren.org is the only parenting website backed by 67,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Topics covered include Ages & Stages, Healthy Living, Safety & Prevention, Family Life, Health Issues, and Tips & Tools.

• Oklahoma Center for Poison & Drug Information
  • The Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information (OCPDI) operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. The poison center staff consists of specially trained pharmacists and nurses who provide poisoning management advice to Oklahoma residents and health care professionals. For ALL poison/drug questions, exposures, and emergencies please call (800) 222-1222.  The Poison Center Education Program offers several community-based presentations and trainings across Oklahoma for public and professional audiences. 

• Safe Kids Worldwide
  • Safe Kids Worldwide® is a nonprofit organization working to help families and communities keep kids safe from injuries. Most people are surprised to learn preventable injuries are the #1 killer of kids in the United States. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the United States and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings, and more.

Peggy Byerly, MS
Early Childhood Coordinator
Phone: (405) 426-8087
E-mail: peggycb@health.ok.gov

Mailing Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Child and Adolescent Health Division
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave., Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406

Physical Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
123 Robert S. Kerr Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK