CATOOSA, Okla. — Cherokee Nation leaders gathered with the Catoosa community to celebrate the grand opening of the tribe’s new Child Development Center.
“In the country, almost half of kids who are 6 years old and younger live in a childcare desert, and we know that parts of the Cherokee Nation live in a childcare desert, which includes Rogers County,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “That’s why Cherokee Nation must be a leader in childcare. Our children and families deserve a state-of-the-art facility like this one, where parents know their children are safe, learning the fundamentals and their culture, while they go out and provide for their families. My administration is determined to keep going and growing childcare opportunities across the reservation.”
The new facility is 33,600 square feet and designed to serve up to 100 children, ranging in ages from 6 weeks old to 12 years old. The space consists of 10 classrooms, two motor skills rooms that double as storm shelters, a full commercial kitchen, administrative office space and three outdoor playgrounds.
“Today’s another great day in the Cherokee Nation as we get to cut the ribbon on this magnificent building that will be such a blessing to the Catoosa community and Cherokee Nation employees who work close,” Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner said. “This investment into our youth will last for generations to come and helps strengthen our Cherokee communities. This center will provide a safe place for our youngest citizens to have a strong beginning as they journey into their bright futures.”
In 2022, Chief Hoskin created the Early Childhood Education Task Force to identify areas of opportunity regarding early childcare within the Cherokee Nation Reservation. Later that year, the task force presented their findings of shortages in early childhood education in several areas, including Rogers County, which was the basis for constructing the Catoosa facility.
This facility is located near one of the tribe’s largest employment centers, where employees will get to utilize the facility for childcare as well.
“Cherokee Nation and its businesses stand at the forefront of industry and economic growth in Oklahoma by leading the way in progressive and inclusive workplaces, and by investing into our incredibly skilled and dedicated workforce,” said Chuck Garrett, CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses. “This state-of-the-art childcare facility, situated next to one of our largest employment centers, is yet another outstanding example of how CNB remains a leading employer of choice by continually exploring and implementing new ways to support our employees and their families, as well as our fellow Cherokee citizens and local communities.”
Since 2019, the tribe has made massive expansions to its childcare and early childhood education programs under the Hoskin/Warner administration. Those initiatives include new Child Development Centers in Pryor, Sallisaw and Catoosa and the replacement of all the tribe’s Head Start facilities across seven communities.
Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner recently proposed the “Cherokee Nation 21st Century Childcare Initiative” which calls for $50 million in childcare center construction and millions of dollars annually in new and expanded support programs. A resolution supporting the initiative will be heard by the Council of the Cherokee Nation this month.
The Catoosa Child Development Center has provided 53 new jobs in the community and will officially open in November.
“Opening this childcare center means more than just opening doors, it means creating opportunity, hope and support for families across our community,” Human Services Executive Director Brittany Denny-Davis said. “Children will learn all the things like their numbers, colors letters and more, but they will also learn something even greater, kindness, respect, culture and pride in their community. My hope is that this center will always be a place filled with laughter, a place of learning, a place to grow, but most of all a place of love.”
The tribe currently operates Child Development Center’s in Tahlequah, Stilwell, Sallisaw and Pryor as well.
For more information on the Catoosa Child Development Center or the waitlist, contact Katherine Sanders or Amber Murphy at 539-235-5802.