Oklahoma's Childcare Quality Rating System: What It Means for Directors and Staff
Oklahoma's quality rating and improvement system is Stars, also called Reaching for the Stars: five levels run by Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Child Care Services.
Every licensed program qualifies as a 1 Star automatically, and applying for higher levels is voluntary — but subsidy-funded programs must participate, and subsidy rates rise with each Stars level.
For directors and staff, the documented criteria our research confirmed are full-time master-teacher coverage, which tightens at each higher level, plus accreditation and Head Start routes into the 4 and 5 Star levels.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Stars — also called Reaching for the Stars.
Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Child Care Services, the agency that also licenses Oklahoma's centers.
Automatic at 1 Star for every licensed program; higher levels are voluntary, but subsidy-funded programs must participate.
Five levels — 1 Star through 5 Star.
Not established in our research — ask OKDHS Child Care Services.
REWARD Oklahoma salary supplements are described for eligible staff in Star-rated programs; our research could not confirm the current amounts.
Oklahoma rating levels
- 1 StarRating level
The starting level: all licensed Oklahoma child care programs immediately qualify as a 1 Star.
- 2 StarRating level
First voluntary step up; the documented Stars criteria include a full-time master teacher for every 50 children of licensed capacity.
- 3 StarRating level
Voluntary level; the documented Stars criteria include a full-time master teacher for every 40 children of licensed capacity.
- 4 StarRating level
Voluntary level; the documented Stars criteria include a full-time master teacher for every 30 children of licensed capacity, and nationally accredited programs and Head Start programs meeting the Head Start Program Performance Standards can reach this level through Star criteria plus additional professional development criteria.
- 5 StarRating level
The top level; the documented Stars criteria include a full-time master teacher for every 20 children of licensed capacity, with the same accreditation and Head Start route available.
What is Oklahoma's QRIS called, and is participation required?
Oklahoma's quality rating and improvement system is Stars, also called Reaching for the Stars, run through OKDHS Child Care Services — the same agency that licenses Oklahoma's child care centers.
Oklahoma has five levels of quality ratings for all licensed child care programs, and every licensed program immediately qualifies as a 1 Star.
Applying for a higher level is voluntary.
The exception is subsidy: in order to receive funding, programs must participate in the QRIS.
“Oklahoma has five levels of quality ratings for all licensed child care programs, levels 1-5. All licensed programs immediately qualify as a 1 Star.”
What are the Oklahoma Stars rating levels?
Stars runs from 1 Star to 5 Star.
All licensed programs immediately qualify as a 1 Star, so the starting rating reflects licensure rather than an application, and the levels above it are voluntary.
Among the Stars criteria our research confirmed, what changes by level is master-teacher coverage: the documented criteria require a full-time master teacher for every 50 children of licensed capacity at 2 Star, 40 at 3 Star, 30 at 4 Star and 20 at 5 Star.
Nationally accredited programs and Head Start programs compliant with the Head Start Program Performance Standards can also meet the 4 and 5 Star levels, by meeting Star criteria plus additional professional development criteria.
What staff credentials and training count toward a higher rating?
The staffing criterion our research confirmed at every level above 1 Star is master-teacher coverage: a full-time master teacher for every 50 children of licensed capacity at 2 Star, 40 at 3 Star, 30 at 4 Star and 20 at 5 Star.
Licensing itself requires at least one master teacher per 60 children of licensed capacity, so the Stars criteria sit on top of the licensing floor.
The credential underneath is the Oklahoma Professional Development Ladder (OPDL): a master teacher's OPDL certificate must be at Level 4 or higher.
OPDL Level 4 is an Oklahoma Competency Certificate, Level 5 is a current CDA or CCP or 12 credit hours, Level 9 an ECE associate and Level 11 an ECE bachelor's, and most levels renew with 20 hours of training a year.
OPDL certificates are tracked in the Oklahoma Professional Development Registry (OPDR).
“There is a full-time master teacher for every: (1) 50 children of the licensed capacity for two-star centers”
Which observation tool does Oklahoma Stars use?
Our research did not confirm which classroom observation tool or assessment approach Oklahoma's Stars ratings use, so this page names none.
The Stars criteria our research did confirm are the master-teacher staffing counts and, at the 4 and 5 Star levels, the additional professional development criteria that come with the accreditation and Head Start routes.
Confirm the current assessment approach with OKDHS Child Care Services before you schedule staff training around a specific instrument.
What incentives come with higher ratings — for the center and for staff?
For centers, the incentive our research confirmed is subsidy funding: in order to receive funding, programs must participate in the QRIS, and with each Stars level the funding increases.
For staff, OKDHS materials describe REWARD Oklahoma, an OKDHS-funded salary supplement of about $400 to $1,500 a year for eligible child care staff in Star-rated programs — but our research could not confirm the current amounts or eligibility rules, so treat the figures as unconfirmed and check with OKDHS Child Care Services.
Beyond these, our research did not confirm other center-side bonuses or grant amounts tied to Stars levels.
“In order to receive funding, programs must participate in the QRIS program. With each Stars level the funding increases.”
How do directors prepare for an Oklahoma Stars rating?
Start from the criterion our research confirmed: master-teacher coverage.
A director can map current full-time master-teacher coverage against licensed capacity to see which level's threshold the staffing already meets — one full-time master teacher per 50 children of licensed capacity at 2 Star, 40 at 3 Star, 30 at 4 Star and 20 at 5 Star.
If your program holds national accreditation or operates as a Head Start program meeting the Head Start Program Performance Standards, ask OKDHS how the additional professional development criteria for the 4 and 5 Star levels apply.
And if your center receives subsidy funding, participation is already part of operating — OKDHS publishes an application page for pursuing higher levels.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Oklahoma licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state quality rating system (QRIS) series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Child Care Services publishes. For the rest of the picture in Oklahoma, see daycare director requirements in Oklahoma.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Reaching for the Stars the same as Oklahoma's QRIS?
Yes.
Oklahoma's quality rating and improvement system is called Stars, also Reaching for the Stars.
It has five levels for all licensed child care programs, and every licensed program immediately qualifies as a 1 Star, with higher levels available by voluntary application.
OKDHS Child Care Services runs it, and subsidy rates rise with each Stars level.
Do Oklahoma daycare centers have to participate in Stars?
Every licensed Oklahoma program holds a rating: all licensed programs immediately qualify as a 1 Star.
Moving up to 2 through 5 Star is voluntary.
The requirement is tied to subsidy — in order to receive funding, programs must participate in the QRIS, and funding increases with each Stars level.
Confirm how the participation rule applies to your program with OKDHS Child Care Services.
How many master teachers does a 5 Star Oklahoma center need?
The Stars criteria our research confirmed call for a full-time master teacher for every 20 children of licensed capacity at 5 Star — compared with one for every 50 at 2 Star, 40 at 3 Star and 30 at 4 Star.
Licensing itself requires at least one master teacher per 60 children of capacity.
Confirm current criteria with OKDHS Child Care Services before you build a staffing plan around them.
Does Oklahoma pay teachers more at higher Star levels?
Our research could not confirm current staff-side amounts.
OKDHS materials describe REWARD Oklahoma, an OKDHS-funded salary supplement of about $400 to $1,500 a year for eligible child care staff in Star-rated programs, but we could not verify the current amounts or eligibility rules.
What is confirmed is the center side: subsidy funding increases with each Stars level.
Check with OKDHS Child Care Services for current supplement amounts.
Can an accredited or Head Start program reach 4 or 5 Star in Oklahoma?
Nationally accredited programs and Head Start programs compliant with the Head Start Program Performance Standards can meet the 4 and 5 Star levels, by meeting the Star criteria plus additional professional development criteria.
The route does not replace the Star criteria — it adds professional development requirements on top.
Ask OKDHS Child Care Services how the route applies to your program.
More Oklahoma Resources
Sources
- Oklahoma Human Services — QRIS rating levels (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Oklahoma Human Services — QRIS application and subsidy funding (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Oklahoma Human Services — Child Care Program QRIS chart documentation (PDF) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Oklahoma Human Services — Licensing Requirements for Child Care Programs (PDF) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Child Care Services.