Common pre-Okay, an bold social program often championed by progressives, has been in place in one of the crucial conservative US states since 1998. Oklahoma’s common pre-Okay program was simply the second within the nation (behind Georgia) and has since change into a mannequin for a way these packages can increase college readiness, financial well-being, and group well being.
The story of how Oklahoma enacted this massive early childhood training program includes a bit of little bit of political mischief, and plenty of motivated educators who noticed a necessity for high-quality pre-kindergarten within the ’90s — and made it occur.
We went to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to listen to from the individuals who had been there firstly of this beloved program, and those carrying it ahead in pre-kindergarten lecture rooms in Oklahoma at this time.
You possibly can see our reporting from Tulsa and different Vox movies on YouTube.
This work was supported by a grant from the Bainum Household Basis. Vox Media had full discretion over the content material of this reporting.