{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-11-103.7","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-11-103.7","heading":"Early childhood education programs - Standards","body":"A. Each school district may offer to four-year-old children the\n\nopportunity to participate in an early childhood education program.\n\nB. The State Board of Education shall promulgate standards for\n\nearly childhood education programs for children who are at least\n\nfour (4) years of age on or before September 1 of the ensuing school\n\nyear. The standards shall include both half-day programs consisting\n\nof not less than two and one-half (2 1/2) hours per school day, and\n\nfull-day programs of six (6) hours. The standards for all early\n\nchildhood education programs shall require a certified teacher, as\n\nspecified in this section, to be present in the classroom for the\n\nlength of the school day. Such program shall:\n\n1. Be directed toward developmentally appropriate objectives\n\nfor such children, rather than toward academic objectives suitable\n\nfor older children;\n\n2. Accommodate the needs of all children and families\n\nregardless of socioeconomic circumstances; and\n\n3. Require that any teacher employed by a public school to\n\nteach in such early childhood education program shall be certified\n\nin early childhood education.\n\nC. The superintendent of any school district providing\n\nclassroom space or other school facilities for a federally sponsored\n\nHead Start program that is planning to make a material change in the\n\narrangement, shall give notice to the director of the Head Start\n\nprogram at least seven (7) days prior to a school board hearing on\n\nthe matter.\n\nD. A school district may offer such early childhood education\n\nprogram within the district, in cooperation with other districts,\n\nthrough the use of transfers as specified by law, or by contracting\n\nwith a private or public provider of early childhood education\n\nprograms, or by contracting for classroom space with a licensed\n\npublic or private child care provider based upon selection criteria\n\nestablished by the district. If the program is provided through\n\ncontract with a private or public provider other than a school\n\ndistrict, the contract may only be continued if each teacher serving\n\nthe school on and after January 1, 1993, is certified in early\n\nchildhood education, except that all teachers, without such\n\ncertification, hired by such provider prior to January 1, 1993, and\n\nserving in the school as an early childhood education teacher shall\n\nbe required to obtain certification on or before the beginning of\n\nthe 1996-97 school year. Any person who has been employed as an\n\nearly childhood educator with the Head Start Program, has a child\n\ndevelopment associate degree (CDA) and has at least five (5) years\n\nof experience in such employment shall be certified in early\n\nchildhood education for purposes of employment in the public schools\n\nof this state to teach in early childhood education for children\n\nfour (4) years of age and younger; if such person is recertified in\n\nchild development by the Council for Early Childhood Professional\n\nRecognition within five (5) years prior to the expiration of the\n\nperson's early childhood certificate that was issued by the State\n\nBoard of Education, such person shall be granted a renewal\n\ncertificate in early childhood education by the State Board of\n\nEducation upon expiration of the early childhood certificate.\n\nProvided, private or public providers shall meet such other\n\nstandards required by law and by the State Board of Education.\n\nE. If an early childhood program is provided by a private or\n\npublic provider pursuant to a contract as authorized in this\n\nsection, the contract shall address the requirements for\n\nimplementing the induction program as required in Section 6-195 of\n\nthis title. Teachers employed by a private or public provider in an\n\nearly childhood education program provided through contract with a\n\npublic school district shall receive in salary and/or fringe\n\nbenefits amounts not less than the amounts specified in the schedule\nthis\n\nsection, the contract shall address the requirements for\n\nimplementing the induction program as required in Section 6-195 of\n\nthis title. Teachers employed by a private or public provider in an\n\nearly childhood education program provided through contract with a\n\npublic school district shall receive in salary and/or fringe\n\nbenefits amounts not less than the amounts specified in the schedule\n\nset forth in Section 18-114.14 of this title.\n\nF. The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules to\n\nprovide for the implementation of such program.\n\nG. An early childhood education program may be offered jointly\n\nby school districts that have formed interlocal cooperative\n\nagreements pursuant to Section 5-117b of this title.\n\nH. The term \"prekindergarten\" shall mean early childhood\n\neducation for purposes of this title.\n\nI. The State Board of Education shall ensure that the standards\n\nfor early childhood education are aligned with any new subject\n\nmatter standards adopted pursuant to Section 11-103.6a of this\n\ntitle.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"b70c1a8b302c57630a54618824d80720db66582cae00d3783b997442f9459bfd","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-11-103.6v3","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-11-103.8"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}