According to a national report, Oklahoma has a lot of 3- and 4-year-olds in public education but the quality of that learned in the bottom third of the rankings.

Oklahoma is ranked No. 16 overall but No. 34 in “quality” and No. 27 in “resources and economic support” in WalletHub’s “2019’s States with the Best and Worst Early Education System.”

Oklahoma has a lot of pre-K students and ranks No. 7 in “access.” Oklahoma is No. 5 in the “highest share of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in Pre-K, Pre-K Special Education and Head Start.”

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key factors, including share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, number of pre-K quality benchmarks met and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K.

Family support is vital to the development to a young child, said Professor Elizabeth Breitbach of the University of South Carolina.

“The most important factors that influence a child’s educational development is the opportunity to explore and be creative with the support of a family member or caregiver,” Breibach said. “Children thrive on exploration, whether it is exploring the nature around them or a new toy.”

Spending more on public education doesn’t necessarily produce academic results, she said.

“At the initial start, yes, spending may increase student learning,” Brietbach said. “However, as we continue to increase the amount spent on education it is not clear that more learning is occurring.

“Having highly educated and motivated teachers along with educational resources is only one piece of the puzzle. Students must also be motivated to learn.

“If students are not motivated to learn and understand the information presented, the amount of spending will not matter, the student will not increase their learning.”

Best vs. Worst

• Oklahoma has the highest share of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-K, pre-K Special Education and Head Start programs, 85.60 percent, which is seven times higher than in Utah, the state with the lowest at 12.30 percent.
• 14 states, such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina, have the highest share of districts that offer pre-K program, 100 percent, which is 11.5 times higher than in New Jersey, the state with the lowest at 8.67 percent.
• Hawaii has the highest income requirement for state pre-K eligibility, $56,790, which is 6.9 times higher than in Minnesota, which has one of the lowest at $8,230.
• The District of Columbia has the highest total spending per child enrolled in preschool, $18,580, which is 23.9 times higher than in North Dakota, which has one of the lowest at $777.
• The District of Columbia, Iowa and New York, have some of the lowest monthly child care co-payment fees (as share of family income), 1 percent, which is 17 times lower than in Hawaii, the state with the highest at 17 percent.