Young children have one of the strongest claims for public support. They are dependent on us and clearly not to blame for any economic hardships they face.

Early childhood is also a smart investment of public dollars, since providing a better start can lead to gains over an entire lifetime, as well as a substantial boost to economic development.

For these reasons, Oklahoma leaders in education, business, philanthropy, and politics have built early childhood programs and partnerships that earn national acclaim. Since 2003, Oklahoma has been ranked first in the nation for availability of public preschool, with a public pre-Kindergarten program offered by every school district and attended by about 71 percent of Oklahoma 4-year-olds.

At the same time, serious problems remain for Oklahoma children. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

In the heart of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Oklahoma City, in a state-of-the-art facility beside the railroad tracks, the smell of fresh-baked bread and cookies wafts down the halls, which wind around the building to simulate streets in a town.

This is Educare, a premiere early childhood education and child care program, and Oklahoma City is one of only a handful of cities to claim one. In fact, at the time OKC Educare opened this summer, Oklahoma was the only state to have two Educare centers. (Tulsa’s opened in 2006.) Read the rest of this entry »