three women in blue Sunbeam t-shrits

Who We Are

Mission

Building BRIGHTER Futures with All Children and Families

Established in 1907, Sunbeam is one of Oklahoma’s longest-serving nonprofits. Sunbeam helps over 6,800 Central Oklahoma children and families learn, grow, and thrive each year through high-quality Early Head Start and Head Start, with specialized extra support for entire family systems, including mental health services, and programming for foster families and grandparents raising their grandchildren.  The nonprofit is also a founding agency of the United Way of Central Oklahoma.

Sunbeam is a trauma-sensitive, hope-centered and culturally aware agency.

two young children smiling

What does it mean to be Hope-Centered?

A hope-centered approach means believing that the future can be better and that you can make it happen. It focuses on:
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Goals

Setting clear, reachable goals.
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    Pathways

    Finding different ways to reach those goals.
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    Motivation

    Having the drive to follow those paths and overcome challenges.

    What does it mean to be trauma-responsive?

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    Recognizing the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledging the role trauma may play in an individual’s life.

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    We strive to understand the whole of an individual. Trauma affects an individual’s sense of self, their sense of others and their beliefs about the world.
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    The shift from “what is wrong with this person” to “what has happened to this person”.

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    The 5 guiding principles of TIC are wrapped up in our core values – safety, choice, collaboration, trust, empowerment.
    Strategic Plan

    Core Values

    Advocacy

    Influencing systemic change that positively impacts the people we serve.

    Innovation

    Identifying and embracing new pathways in support of our communities.   

    Community

    Building and embracing inclusive relationships and impactful collaborations

    Integrity

    Committing the organization, teams, and individuals to meet or exceed high standards.

    Respect

    Honoring others, treating people with dignity, and embracing our differences.

    Growth

    Fostering hope, development, and well-being within our teams and the people we serve.

    Vision

    We aspire to be a recognized leader in early child care and education, with specialized support for entire family systems. We consistently strive to strengthen social service in our communities. We seek to be advocates of the highest-quality services and ensure the sustainability of our work.

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    parent standing behind child

    “We have to invest in our children. Sunbeam does an amazing job of knowing when to step in, where to step in, and empowering parents to feel like they can do it.”

    – Past Sunbeam Parent Marina

    Watch Marina's Story