History

Established in 1907, Sunbeam Family Services is one of Oklahoma’s longest-serving nonprofits. The organization began as a home for children and has evolved over the years to meet the growing needs of the community. Sunbeam has been providing mental health support since the late 1930s, when it expanded its services to include a psychological services clinic, casework services, and foster care. In the 1940s, Sunbeam began offering adult mental health services, providing the only community-based mental health services in Oklahoma at that time. The agency’s leadership provided guidance for the creation of the early Oklahoma County Juvenile Bureau, helped shape the state’s foster care system, opened the doors of Oklahoma’s first Educare, and participated in the collective impact model that resulted in the creation of ReMerge.

Today, Sunbeam is committed to improving child and family outcomes in a state that consistently ranks in the bottom ten nationally. Through a continuum of care that spans early childhood education, mental health services, foster care, grandfamily support, and family strengthening programs, Sunbeam delivers trauma-responsive prevention and intervention services that nurture positive relationships with caregivers during the early years—when 90% of a child’s brain is formed. These programs are designed to buffer adversity and build resilience, supporting long-term health, development, and wellbeing across all family structures.