Oklahoma's Prekindergarten Program Described As National Model

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A report to a national research group holds up Oklahoma's publicly funded prekindergarten program as a model for other states to follow. But the report, delivered Thursday, says

Friday, August 10th 2007, 6:19 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A report to a national research group holds up Oklahoma's publicly funded prekindergarten program as a model for other states to follow. But the report, delivered Thursday, says most families nationwide still face hurdles in paying for quality early education for their children.

W. Steven Barnett is director of the Rutgers University-based National Institute for Early Education Research. Barnett spoke to the National Research Council in Washington about the financial barriers keeping many middle-class families from enrolling their children in quality educational programs before they start kindergarten.

In most parts of the United States, families making between $30,000 and $50,000 a year must pay for private preschool, barring many from attending.