Oklahoma City Public Schools already looking ahead to next school year Share Updated: 5:55 PM CDT Apr 7, 2021 Share Updated: 5:55 PM CDT Apr 7, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript NEED TO KNOW. OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS READY TO REGISTER THEIR YOUNGEST LEARNERS ONLINE FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. IT’S NOT A FULL ENROLLMENT AT THIS POINT. WE’RE ACTUALLY JUST ASKING FOR A FEW QUESTIONS FROM THE FAMILIES. YOU KNOW, WHAT’S YOUR CHILD’S NAME AND THEIR DATE OF BIRTH? WHAT’S YOUR INFORMATION DIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, STEPHANIE HINTON TELLS ME THE DISTRICT SEEING A MAJOR DIP IN PRE-K ENROLLMENT THIS PANDEMIC SCHOOL YEAR PAST YEA WE HAD ABOUT 1600 PRECARES IN OUR 1600 THIS SESSION COMPARED TO 2400 IN THE 1920 SCHOOL YEAR AND 2700 THE YEAR BEFORE THAT. SHE SAYS THE REASONS PARENTS CONCERNS ABOUT PASSING COVID TO AT-RISK LOVED ONES LACK OF CHILD CARE ON VIRTUAL DAYS AND NOT WANTING THEIR KIDS TO LEARN ONLINE ALTOGETHER AND WHILE PRE-K ISN’T REQUIRED HINTON SAYS IT’S IMPORTANT FOR A YOUNG ONES DEVELOPMENT JUST GIVES CHILDREN THAT OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO SCHOOL AT FOUR TO LEARN THOSE SOCIAL. SKILLS LEARN EARLY LITERACY SKILLS AND EARLY NUMER SKILLS THAT REALLY SET THAT FOUNDATION FOR LATER LEARNING AND OKCPS WORKING TO CLOSE THE ENROLLMENT GAP WELCOMING STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT TO TRANSFER IN FOR PRE-K. WE HAVE MORE SEATS THAN OTHER DISTRICTS DO AND SO WHILE OTHER DISTRICTS ARE EITHER LOTTERY OR FIRST COME FIRST SERVE AND THEY HAVE LIMIT WE’RE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE ACCESS HEAD TO OKCPS’S ENROLLMENT PAGE THROUGH THE