5 Questions for the Governor Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Early Learning Nation
Gov. Laura Kelly
Child care workers and teachers are critical workers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, families have faced many challenges – including child care access. We know that if we wanted to keep essential workers, teachers, law enforcement and many other essential employees and their services functioning, we needed to ensure access to child care.
Literacy is a top priority because we know that so much of our success in K-12 hinges on building better readers. In the past, we’ve had an environment of “too little, too late” when it comes to helping kids before they pass the third grade, which is recognized as a milestone for reading development.
Since the establishment of the Department of Early Learning back in 2006, we’ve seen a lot of growth in awareness about early brain development and the importance of getting it right in the early years. The recent passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act is a historic investment in both early learning and child care, and it’s a great example of how our understanding about the importance of early childhood has advanced over the past few decades.
The State of Oklahoma is on a mission to become a Top Ten state for all Oklahomans. When we presented this concept on the campaign trail in 2018, there was deep support around this opportunity. We know that we must focus on our children and families for us to reach this goal.

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