Tulsa nonprofit to serve more children and families with planned Oklahoma City expansion

After more than 50 years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Little Lighthouse is expanding its services into Oklahoma City.

With more than 500 children currently on the waitlist, leaders of the non-profit say this expansion has been on their hearts to be able to serve more families of children with special needs statewide.

What is the Little Lighthouse?

The Little Lighthouse is a Christian, nonprofit developmental center for children with special needs.

The nonprofit serves kids from birth to six years old with different programs, including a four-day preschool style developmental center, and a one time a week family learning center.

Children work with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and more inside the classrooms.

Why is it expanding?

For half a century, the Little Lighthouse has been helping children with special needs in the Tulsa area.

Molly Smith, executive director of the non-profit, says that need goes across the state and many families in the Oklahoma City area have been making the trip to Tulsa weekly for their programs.

Smith says there are more than 500 children and families on the waitlist to get in to the Little Lighthouse, many of which are near Oklahoma City.

Adding a branch in western Oklahoma, Smith says, will allow them to serve more children.

"It's really just going to mean that a lot more families across Oklahoma are served, which that's all we care about," Smith said. "We really want to make sure that they have the services that they need and hope, and that's what we're all about is really making sure that these families have hope and that they can see that their kids are going to achieve great things."

Where will the new location be?

The new location will be in the Putnam City Baptist Church for the first few years. The Little Lighthouse will use four classrooms in the church, each class will have six students.

How will it work?

Smith says the new location will be the same program as what they have in Tulsa. It will include the 4-day developmental and single-day family learning centers.

Smith says they will continue to be operationally and financially responsible for both locations. This project is expected to add $1 million to the non-profits budget.

How do I enroll my child?

Although not opening until January 2026, Smith says the Oklahoma City location already has a waitlist going. She says they plan to start screening and placing children in the summer of 2025.

To learn more:

To learn more about the expansion, job positions or how to donate, visit the Little Lighthouse website.