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Rainbow Fleet is an Oklahoma City organization that has helped parents nd child care for more than forty years. It has
developed programs to enhance learning and developmental opportunities for child care providers, parents, and of
course, children.

Were a nonprot organization aimed at helping improve the quality of life for families and children here in Oklahoma.
We do that through a variety of methods, said Carrie Williams, Rainbow Fleet executive director.
Parents who are seeking out quality child care can turn to Rainbow Fleet for help.

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Whether that be specic hours of care; the amount they can aord to pay; whatever their budget is. The area where
they need care, whether its proximity to their home or work. We really run a tailored search based on any of their
criteria.

Williams said Rainbow Fleet works with parents to discover the best options for their child.

Whats right for one child is never right for the next child. Some kids thrive in a small, one-on-one, or three-on-one
learning environment. Some kids do better in a center where there are lots of kids and a chance to be socialized.

Rainbow Fleet generates a list of options tting the parents criteria. It even nds options which parents might not know
exist, just around the corner from their home.
A parent might not know that theres a home child care provider in their neighborhood. They wouldnt really know it
unless they have a friend in the neighborhood who takes their child there. But every childcare provider thats licensed
through DHS is in our registry. If they call us, and they say I need to be no further than ten miles out from my house, we
can search that radius for them. We can do that. They might nd out that three doors down theres a child care provider.
The lists Rainbow Fleet generates for parents are not recommendations. They are simply options for licensed child care.
The organization also gives parents tools they need when they begin reviewing the options from the list.

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So that they are really armed with the right knowledge that they need to make an informed choice in choosing child
care, said Williams.

Rainbow Fleets executive director encourages parents to do their research on the child care providers before enrolling
their child in a program.

When we give them the list, we also direct them to the DHS website and teach them how to run a search for the child
care providers name. If there are any licensing issues, they can see that before they even visit the homes. And we always
encourage the parent to actually go in and visit the homes and the centers before they enroll their child.

The child care search is free and can be done for the entire state of Oklahoma.

We can take a lot of that guesswork out of it for parents.

Another service Rainbow Fleet oers helps to enhance play for children. For a $40 annual subscription fee, parents and

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child care providers are given access to Rainbow Fleets Resource Center.

That is a lending library that is stocked with developmentally and age-appropriate toys, books, and games that parents
can check out for their kids. Child care providers can check out to use in their facilities as well.

Resource Center members can check out ten toys, keep them a month, return them, then check out a new round of
toys. But they arent just any toys. The Resource Center toys are designed to help kids develop and grow.

We can kind of talk through what they are wanting to work on at home. If they are having diculty with speech, we have
items that are geared toward helping with that. If they need to work on their ne motor skills, weve got items that are
geared toward that. It is all based around play, but it is an educational play.

Another way Rainbow Fleet fullls its mission of enhancing the quality of life is by oering child care providers
opportunities to improve their care.

We provide technical assistance to child care providers. We actually go out to a child care providers home or centers
and work with them one-on-one on their child care practices. If they have a child who has a behavioral issue in their
program, we can observe and see whats going on and what maybe leads to that issue. Then help them nd a way to
address it. We also oer training opportunities here at Rainbow Fleet. A couple of nights a week and almost every
Saturday we have training sessions here.

Williams contends that one of the best ways to improve the quality of child care is to improve a childs nutrition. To that
end, Rainbow Fleet oers a nutrition program that assists child care providers in oering healthy and nutritious options.

Its a tiered reimbursement system. If a child care provider or a family is in a lower income area, they get a higher
reimbursement rate for the meals they provide. Its really aimed at making healthy, nutritious meals aordable for
families and child care providers.

Williams said to be served healthy, nutritious meals really helps children grow and learn. She said it all comes down to
helping parents.

We help link families to quality child care options anywhere in the state of Oklahoma. So parents can call us on our 800number. We sit with them on the phone or in person. We even have an online form they can ll out if they choose.
Whatever method works best for them. We really go through their options, talk about what they need rst.

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BY Jason doyle oden

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