A new report on early childhood development estimates that nearly a quarter of a million children in Oklahoma were living in poverty in 2012.
The report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation also found that about one-third of the state's kids were living with parents who didn't have steady employment.
The foundation advocates for investing in the critical early years of a child's life.
The report suggests ways to reduce the number of kids growing up in poverty, such as providing early education programs and offering job training and other tools to parents.
Terry Smith, who is the president and CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, says he hopes to use the report to convince lawmakers to devote attention to its findings in the upcoming legislative session.
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