OKDHS Lecture Series Resumes Aug. 17

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A lecture series presented by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) and the University of Oklahoma will resume Aug. 17 with a presentation titled “Why Early Childhood Matters: Brain Development Birth to Five.”  This lecture will be presented by Lisa Klein, PhD, Executive Director of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance in Leawood, Kansas, and will be from noon to 1 p.m. in the Chesapeake Room of the Oklahoma History Center.
The Birth to Five Policy Alliance fosters policy change within states to ensure more at-risk infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families are better prepared for success in school and life. The Alliance's 13 members pursue one or more of three basic activities: building capacity in states for policy innovation and investment; supporting policymakers; and analyzing and tracking policies. 

The Alliance's policy reach extends across America with Alliance grantees working in 26 states plus the District of Columbia. The Alliance is supported by Buffett Early Childhood Fund, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation, and Irving Harris Foundation.

Klein also served as director of early childhood, conducting research and policy analysis at the Kansas Health Institute. In addition, she served as principal of Hestia Advising, an independent consulting firm focused on design, development, and evaluation to improve programs and policies for young children and families. She has 10 years experience in the not-for-profit community, directing the partial hospital program at Crittenton Children’s Center in Kansas City, providing intensive mental and behavioral health services to young children and their families. 

The OKDHS is co-sponsoring the lecture with the Potts Family Foundation.

All lectures are free and open to the public.  This year-long series provides thought-provoking presentations by experts in their fields on Oklahoma’s emerging policy issues, trends and best practices. 

View the complete lecture series lineup at: Practice and Policy Lecture Series website (Link opens in new window). Phone Millie Carpenter at (405) 521-3552 for additional information.

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