OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- One of the Nation's leading authorities in early childhood development will speak to the Governor's Early Childhood Development Task Force and Oklahoma Legislators at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 17 in the Oklahoma Capitol Building, Room 534A.

Craig T. Ramey, Ph.D., professor of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Neurobiology and director of the Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will share his insights into Oklahoma's efforts to improve the quality of its early childhood care system.

Ramey's 30 years of research, which includes the Abecedarian Preschool Project, are redefining how educators are viewing the importance of early childhood develop in children's lives and how it affects their chances for success later in life.

He has been invited to Oklahoma to share his experience and assess Oklahoma's efforts to improve quality childcare through its rollout of the multi-tiered childcare reimbursement system. The goal of the program is the have 90 percent of the children receiving subsidized childcare in higher quality care by the end of fiscal year 2002.

The media are invited to attend this briefing. Ramey will be available for print and broadcast interviews following his presentation.

A photo and bio of Ramey and information of the Civitan Research Center are available through the followings links: http://www.circ.uab.edu/CraigRamey/ and http://www.circ.uab.edu/

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