Still good news for Oklahoma in report about prekindergarten programs

The report released recently by the National Institute of Early Education Research, based at Rutgers University in New Jersey, showed that Florida has usurped the No. 1 position with 76 percent of 4-year-olds enrolled in a program, slightly besting Oklahoma's historic high of 74 percent. But quantity doesn't always equate to quality: Oklahoma meets nine of 10 quality standards benchmarks; Florida meets only three.

Oklahoma's per-child state spending was down in 2011 from a decade-high figure in 2010, resulting in a rank of 27th. When counting all reported spending, however, the amount per child more than doubles, elevating Oklahoma to ninth place. Additionally, the decline in state spending doesn't represent a targeted assault on pre-K, which has some measure of budget protection. As part of the school funding formula, lower pre-K funding is based on lower overall education funding that also affects K-12.