13. Learn More & Get Involved!
Debra Andersen, Executive Director
Smart Start Oklahoma
405.278.6978
Debra.Andersen@smartstartok.org
Editor's Notes
[Speaking Points] My name is (name) and I’m an Oklahoma Champion for Early Opportunities. OKCEO is a statewide initiative to educate business and community leaders about the strong link between early learning and the Oklahoma economy. To respect your time I’ll keep remarks to about 20 minutes, and then we’ll have a brief Q&A, time permitting. Note cards and pens are on your table for convenience. We’ll begin with this impactful 4-minute video by the Ounce of Prevention Fund called “Change the First Five Years and you Change Everything.”
Note to presenter: When this slide loads, click one more time to start the video. Expect a 4-second delay at the beginning of the video.
[Speaking Points] The OKCEO initiative began in 2010 led by Smart Start Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Business Roundtable and the Potts Family Foundation. OKCEO mobilizes business leaders as advocates for adequate resources supporting parents and caregivers in the critical first few years of life.
[Speaking Points] For the past year, more than 30 OKCEOs have been speaking across the state in board rooms, at business and civic group meetings and wherever there is an opportunity. Our message is simple: early learning is good business.
[Speaking Points] Early learning is the formal teaching and care of children outside the home during the pre-school years, typically birth to age five, to prepare them for school. In 1998, Oklahoma became one of the first states to establish a universal pre-K program for 4-year-olds.
[Speaking Points] In 2004, Georgetown University released a study that showed Tulsa’s pre-K program produced “substantial academic benefits for all children in the program, regardless of race or ethnicity.” The following year, a five-state study by the National Institute for Early Education came to the same result. The studies are ongoing, and they continue to show Oklahoma’s pre-K program is effective. Oklahoma has been ranked #1 in the nation for standards, quality, and access to pre-kindergarten education. 98 percent of school districts offer pre-K programs and 75 percent of 4-year-olds in Oklahoma currently participate in a voluntary early learning program.
[Speaking Points] If you leave here today remembering just one statistic, it should be this: The human brain is almost completely developed by the time we’re 3. The first five years are critical for preparing our youngest citizens to succeed in school and in life because this is the time when learning is most effective. Children who enter school without the skills to be successful may never catch-up with their peers. Governor Fallin highlighted the impact in a recent interview with the Tulsa World: "Studies have shown that access to early learning programs gives our children the cognitive and social skills they need to enter into kindergarten ready to learn and that having those skills pays off for the duration of their time in school. Children without early childhood education opportunities are 25 percent more likely to drop out and 60 percent more likely never to attend an Oklahoma college or university.” (Source for 90 percent statistic on slide): Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy in Houston and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago.
[Speaking Points] 3rd grade is a reliable predictor for success later in life. We know that a child’s grades and absenteeism by 3rd grade predict with 90 percent accuracy whether a child will drop out. The statistics are so reliable, in California, they determine the number of prison beds the state will need in the future based on the number of kids who can’t read by the end of 3 rd grade. Oklahoma also measures 3 rd grade reading proficiency as an important predictor of future success.
[Speaking Points] Today’s infants and toddlers are tomorrow’s CEOs, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, educators, health care workers and policy makers. Economists say that for American businesses to compete in the 21 st century economy, we need to invest in building an educated workforce. Currently, 1 in 5 American workers are functionally illiterate. In Oklahoma, employers anticipate shortages in: college-trained managers, engineers, executives and other high tech workers. Renowned economist and Nobel laureate Dr. James Heckman discussed this at length during a recent visit to Oklahoma. The following video is from his interview with Oklahoma Horizon television.
In the video, Heckman gives a conservative ROI of roughly 6-10 percent. With Oklahoma’s high child poverty rate and low literacy, the ROI here could be higher.
[Speaking Points] Kids must enter school ready to learn If they start school at a disadvantage, they may never catch-up. If they don’t catch-up by 3 rd grade, they’re likely to drop out. According to the nation’s top economists (including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke), investment in early learning yields the highest return on investment. In short, early learning is good business for Oklahoma, and the best possible investment for our economy.
[OKCEO Speaking Points] We’re fortunate to have a representative from Smart Start Oklahoma with us today to give a Community Action Update. I’ll turn it over to (name). Thank you for your time! [Smart Start Oklahoma – Suggested Speaking Points] Thank you (presenter name). Hi, I’m (name) from Smart Start Oklahoma. Smart Start Oklahoma coordinates services for early learning in our state. Quick list of successful programs (Educare OKC/Tulsa, Jumpstart Tulsa, OSU Childcare Development Center, Muskogee Early Childhood Center, etc.). Challenges and opportunities in this community include: (brief mention and refer to handout in info packet).
[Speaking Points] More in-depth information is provided in the packets you received when you arrived, including contact info for Patrick Brown and Margie Marney. We have a few minutes for questions. Thank you for your time!
