Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), on behalf of the AEP Foundation and in collaboration with Smart Start Oklahoma, today announced a gift of $52,500 for early childhood literacy programs in the greater Bartlesville area.

The $52,500 grant will be distributed over the next three years to Bartlesville’s Delaware Child Development Center. 

“We are proud to continue PSO’s long-standing support of early childhood services in our state, and to enhance our partnership with Smart Start Oklahoma,” said Kelly Rice, PSO Community Affairs Manager.

PSO has long been a supporter of early childhood education, starting more than 20 years ago, when the company was among the first corporate citizens to advocate for preschool education programs.   Since 2004, PSO and the AEP Foundation have donated more than $700,000 to Smart Start Oklahoma for early childhood literacy programs.

“We know that planting seeds of opportunity early in a child’s life will eventually lead to successful learning in school.  We’re proud that our funding and support will result in preparing children for life-long learning,” Rice added.

In addition to the grant money, PSO and the AEP Foundation also announced it will distribute several hundred science kits in blue backpacks to Bartlesville area children, again working through the Smart Start Oklahoma network.

The backpacks are stuffed with games, activities, toys and science adventures that are geared to infants and children and their families.  The AEP Foundation acquired the backpacks from Action for Children, a national organization dedicated to early learning services.
 

PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving more than 530,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.  With headquarters in Tulsa, PSO has 4,405 megawatts of generating capacity and provides electricity to 230 cities and towns across a service area encompassing 30,000 square miles.  News releases and other information about PSO can be found on the World Wide Web at PSOklahoma.com.