{"id":34269,"date":"2021-09-09T04:56:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T09:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=34269"},"modified":"2021-09-08T16:11:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T21:11:00","slug":"coronavirus-pandemic-causes-lagging-kindergarten-and-pre-k-enrollments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2021\/09\/09\/coronavirus-pandemic-causes-lagging-kindergarten-and-pre-k-enrollments\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus pandemic causes lagging kindergarten and pre-k enrollments\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 10px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/226ebb87-52e9-4ddb-acfa-0889c3fcfbb5\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michelle Bobbitt is helping a classroom of 4-year-olds get the words to \u201cTwinkle Twinkle Little Star,\u201d just right.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the first day of school at Johnson Pre-K Center in North Oklahoma City and she\u2019s keeping things simple to start in an effort to teach them the basics of being a student.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe need a good foundation for kindergarten, and preschool is definitely the starting point,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_34272\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignright\" style=\"max-width: 504px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34272\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-504x672.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-504x672.jpeg 504w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-1440x1920.jpeg 1440w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-113x150.jpeg 113w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-620x827.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/IMG_6522-810x1080.jpeg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A classroom sign outside Michelle Bobbitt&#8217;s door at Johnson Pre-K Center in Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n<\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Early childhood education is something Oklahoma has traditionally <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/why-oklahomas-public-preschools-are-some-of-the-best-in-the-country\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">done well<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as parents fear the effects of COVID-19 on their youngest children, the state is seeing a steep drop in the number of students enrolled in Pre-K and kindergarten programs. Last school year, for the first time in two decades, Oklahoma lost public school enrollment. And most of that came from hemorrhaging pre-K and kindergarten students. The state saw a decrease of 7,000 of those students.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt&#8217;s incredibly concerning because we know how important that time in school is for students,\u201d said Lauren Jenks-Jones, Executive Director of Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction for Oklahoma\u2019s State Department of Education.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What will be the impact?<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oklahoma has had universal pre-K since the 1990s. And that\u2019s led to very high enrollment, which in in turn lays the foundation for student success throughout an Oklahoma student\u2019s educational experience.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEarly childhood education truly is one of the jewels of Oklahoma, and we&#8217;re recognized all across the country for such an outstanding program,\u201d state schools superintendent Joy Hofmeister said in an interview.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hofmeister said she understands the reluctance. Parents are understandably hesitant to send their young, unvaccinated children to schools that are seeing a surge in cases and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2021\/08\/19\/as-a-new-school-year-starts-stateimpact-is-again-tracking-covid-19s-impact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">closures<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think the biggest long term effects are kind of yet to be seen,\u201d Jenks-Jones said. \u201cBut we do know that the intervention services and students not being able to get that critical early intervention is going to be a big one.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the drop off in early childhood enrollment, many kids will be old for their grade for years to come. And Jenks-Jones says that will have a ripple effect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schools will need to be thoughtful about staffing for different grades for years to come. And kids will miss out on foundational work or even special education programs.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond that, it\u2019s an important time to learn the basics.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere&#8217;s also just a plethora of cognitive development that is happening between the ages of two and seven,\u201d Jenks-Jones said. \u201cIt&#8217;s critical years for students to develop that love of learning those interpersonal skills, as well as the academic foundations that are really going to set them on a pathway forward to success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_34274\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34274\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-672x504.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-672x504.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-150x113.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-620x465.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot-1440x1080.jpeg 1440w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/09\/OSDE-Headshot.jpeg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Oklahoma State Department of Education<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lauren Jenks-Jones, Executive Director of Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction for Oklahoma\u2019s State Department of Education<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><b>How can the trend be mitigated?<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why Jenks-Jones and other early childhood leaders are pushing schools to get students to enroll in pre-k and kindergarten this fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis year, they may have to be intentional about revisiting enrollment in the middle of the year and reaching out directly to those families that they know could use the services of the school,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schools have already done some of the work catching students up <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2021\/06\/24\/oklahoma-schools-boost-summer-offerings-to-combat-negative-effects-of-covid-19-on-learning\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">over the summer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But catchup needs to occur this fall, too.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And for those parents who have pulled their kids out of school, they need to work with their students to make sure that they\u2019re ready when it\u2019s time to get back into a classroom, Jenks-Jones said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Oklahoma City, on the first day of school enrollment in pre-K and Kindergarten was cut in half &#8211; 1,300 compared to 2,600 in fall 2019.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OKCPS was continuing its efforts to find kids and get them enrolled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s imperative that kids make it into a classroom, superintendent Sean McDaniel said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He said it\u2019s incredibly important to show students that they\u2019re valued at school and \u201cthey have a place here,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>A school year that remains unpredictable<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What happens in that place is harder to guess. The coronavirus &#8211; and specifically the delta variant &#8211; is ravaging young people at a rate previously unseen during the first year and a half of the pandemic.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best thing Bobbitt, the pre-K teacher, says any early childhood educator can do is lay a foundation for school moving forward. And that means no matter what comes, instilling a love of learning for the dwindling number of pre-k and kindergarten students.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cGive yourself grace,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, you know, you can have plans. You might get through them, you might not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michelle Bobbitt is helping a classroom of 4-year-olds get the words to \u201cTwinkle Twinkle Little Star,\u201d just right.It\u2019s the first day of school at Johnson Pre-K Center in North Oklahoma City and she\u2019s keeping things simple to start in an effort to teach them the basics of being a student.\u201cWe need a good foundation for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":34271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34269"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34276,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34269\/revisions\/34276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}