Alliance allies at the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (OPSR) manage The Oklahoma Clearinghouse for Early Childhood Success and partner with public and private organizations to ensure that there is cross-sector representation in decision-making and funding. The Clearinghouse is collection of national and local research and evidence-based resources across several early childhood domains that can be replicated to better support children and families. OPSR aims to elevate best practices and inform implementation across early childhood systems in Oklahoma. Implementation of best practices that have been released through the Clearinghouse are made possible due to the support of cross-sector partnerships and voices that have contributed since its inception.
The Clearinghouse is a collaborative effort that has been driven through community submissions by teachers, providers, parents, and other early childhood stakeholders. Additionally, OPSR works with the Oklahoma Department of Health Services (OKDHS) to create a quality threshold that best fits the needs of Oklahoma families and supports the early childhood system by ensuring that the lived experiences of stakeholders are included. Submissions to the clearinghouse are accepted through three focus areas:
- Social-emotional well-being
- Child development
- Healthy environments and relationships
The Clearinghouse accepts research and practice-based submissions, as well as innovative ideas, which provides three different lenses to support best practices in early childhood and build a state threshold of quality for early childhood programs. OPSR also leads outreach efforts through town hall discussions and targeted social media materials to ensure that submissions are equitable and represent diverse communities. OPSR aims to lift these practices and replicate them across the state with support from public-private funding towards implementation.
OPSR will be announcing implementation supports for round one projects in the coming weeks and will assist with drafting plans that would be carried out by the Clearinghouse to ensure practices are sustainable and replicable.
“It can be hard for the industry to keep up with the latest early childhood research and best practices, let alone find innovative ways to serve children and prepare them for success” said Carrie Williams, executive director at OPSR. “The Clearinghouse will serve as a repository for research, evidence-based practices, and innovative ideas to elevate the early childhood industry in Oklahoma and nation-wide and to make those supports available to those who serve children in Oklahoma.”
About the Oklahoma Clearinghouse for Early Childhood Success
The Oklahoma Clearinghouse for Early Childhood Success promotes well-being for Oklahoma children and their families by building an evolving definition of quality, fast-tracking innovation, implementing research-informed practice and practice-informed research to support and improve early childhood systems and maximizing public/private partnerships. Established in 2020 by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the Clearinghouse was transferred to Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness in 2021. Learn more at https://www.okclearinghouse.org/
