Family Turning Old Moore Restaurant Into Child Care Center

A local family is turning an old restaurant into a child care center during a time when such facilities are in short supply across Oklahoma.

Kaylene Hilton and her daughter, Crashonda Smith, currently run a licensed childcare at home that can accommodate up to 12 children.

They are now renovating the building that used to house Sam's Southern Eatery on Northwest 12th Street in Moore. Their goal is to transform the place into a child care center for children up to 5 years old. The business will be called Busy Beez Childcare.

"They said, 'Oh, you can have 60 children.' And we're like, 'Sixty children? Oh my gosh, how many families can we help?' And then like, 'Well guess what? You can have like six to eight infants.' That's a lot of people that can go back to work," said Hilton.

Hilton and Smith hope to open the new childcare center in February.

"I mean, we're having struggles," said Hilton. "But we have an amazing support team. Like, our husbands working, our teenage kids come in."

To illustrate the need for child care in Oklahoma, the Center for American Progress created a map indicating areas that are considered childcare deserts.

"A child care desert is defined as any census tract with more than 50 children under age 5 that contains either no child care providers or so few that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots," according to the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness.

The map shows that many rural areas surrounding the Oklahoma City metro have an inadequate amount of childcare providers. The Center for American Progress said 68 % of Oklahomans living in rural areas are in a child care desert.

"COVID hit pretty hard on a lot of home daycares because parents stopped working and they couldn't afford child care anymore," said Smith.

A 2020 report by the Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral Association showed that of the 302,792 children between 0 and 5 years old in the state, 62% have working parents. Soon, they'll have another option for child care in Moore.

"I want every child to be welcomed to a daycare, no matter (the) disability, no matter if, you know, anything," said Smith.

Hilton said once their new childcare center opens, they'll initially accept children between 0 to 5 years old. They hope to accept older children after the first year of operation. Special needs children will also be welcomed. Hilton said they hope to eventually purchase a bus to transport the kids.

Hilton and Smith said they welcome help from the community to renovate the building. All supplies will be provided on-site. Anyone wishing to volunteer can call 405-416-0638.

They are also looking to hire eight to 10 employees, including teachers, assistant teachers, and a cook. Interested applicants can call the aforementioned number.