TAHLEQUAH — A low ratio of children to teachers at the Cherokee Nation Child Development Center is one of the reasons the state’s Early Childhood Program is working.

“We have certain requirements,” said Laurie Hand, director of the Child Care and Development Department. “For every four children we have a teacher. There also must be a bachelor’s degree teacher for every two classrooms.”

Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, and Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah, took a tour Friday of the Cherokee Nation Child Development Center to observe the benefits of the pilot program.

The program is taking place at locations across the state. It aims to give pre-schoolers a better start so that they are more likely to succeed later in life and less likely to have problems. Thirteen agencies across the state provide the pilot program for 1,487 children.

Hand said that the purpose of the meeting and tour was to keep state leaders aware of what is being done with the state’s money.

Hand said there is a social services component to connect parents to other services they might need.

“In addition, there are other kinds of enhanced services, like dental screenings and developmental assessments,” she said.

Hand said the in-person visit served an important purpose for the pilot program.

“The state is putting funds into the project, so we wanted them to have the opportunity to be able to see where their money is going, and how important it is to continue to provide these services to children in Oklahoma,” she said.

Meshel Richmond, with the Community Action Project in Tulsa, which hosts the pilot program in Tulsa and Sand Springs, noted that Wilson and Brown asked a lot of questions about outcomes for the children who go through the pilot program.

Hand said the pilot program’s short-term goal is a better education for children. It’s long-term goals are children who are better prepared for school, less likely to drop out, and more likely to obtain better employment as they get older.

“The pilot program has been in existence for three years, and we have participated for the last two years,” she said. “Our facility is nationally accredited.”

Reach Keith Purtell at 684-2925 or kpurtell @muskogeephoenix.com.