Tulsa Public Schools Still Enrolling For Pre-K Students

Two weeks before the start of school there are a lot of openings in Tulsa Public Schools classrooms for free pre-school.

The district is concerned parents may not realize there's free education for children long before they can go into a pre-K program through Tulsa Public Schools.

The CAP programs teach children, really from birth on, and they've got room for more - especially for 2 and 3 year olds.

In Tulsa, a combination of public and philanthropic money has created a strong education pipeline for the youngest children. The CAP program enrolls children up to 3 years old and teaches them so they're ready for Pre-K offered by TPS.

At the 12 CAP schools, there are openings for 2 and 3 year olds - 500 available spots as of now.

CAP Tulsa COO, Karen Kiely said, "But it is unusual, at this point in our calendar, to have openings for twos and threes."

That's why CAP and the school district, which already work together, are encouraging parents to get their youngest children enrolled.

CAP has the openings available where the children learn through lessons designed around playing.

"CAP Tulsa is far more than just early care. We have a rigorous curriculum for all ages and we are trying to help children build their cognitive ability, their social-emotional skills and their physical development," Kiely said.

The CAP program works in concert with TPS, where now free Pre-K classes are available throughout the district.

TPS is still enrolling, but as of now has 1,200 empty seats.

Superintendent, Dr. Deborah Gist, believes because it's relatively new parents may not realize pre-k is available.

“It's time to enroll and specifically for them to know we have programs for 4 year olds.  That's still something that, everybody knows kindergarten, but we want people to know that pre-k is an option in Tulsa," she said.

Both CAP Tulsa and TPS do enrollment online, which is the best place for enrollment, but it’s also possible at CAP sites and the TPS enrollment center.