We’re #1, again! Last month, the National Institute for Early Education Research released the 2009 State Preschool Yearbook,  its annual report on pre-kindergarten education across the nation.  Overall, the report’s press release proclaimed that “Oklahoma was ranked as the leader of the top 10 states in the country… based on enrollment, quality standards, funding adequacy, and evidence of program effectiveness.”

On access, Oklahoma was recognized as “the only state where almost every child had the opportunity to attend a quality preschool education program at age 4.” The state data fact sheet shows that almost every school district in Oklahoma offers a 4-year old program and 71 percent of children were enrolled in a pre-K program in the 2008-09 school year. Under Oklahoma’s collaborative pre-K model, public school teachers can be placed in Head Start programs, child care centers, or other community-based programs, as well as directly in public schools. Read the rest of this entry »