Public Service Company of Oklahoma announced it is sponsoring a special early childhood education event this month in Hugo as part of national Week of the Young Child. 

Little Dixie Head Start will celebrate Week of the Young Child (WOYC) at 2 p.m. April 17, and children will receive Louie the Lightning Bug coloring books, crayons and other materials. A special visit is planned by a PSO lineman, who will discuss with the children the kinds of protective and safety equipment he wears to work and how children must play it safe around electricity.  Little Dixie and PSO are partnering to celebrate WOYC.

PSO has long believed in supporting positive educational experiences in its communities.  Studies show that students with a strong early learning background grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level; graduate high school;  hold a job and form more stable families of their own.

“PSO is proud to sponsor this project for a couple of reasons.  First, we are celebrating the company’s 100^th anniversary of service this year, and what better way to commemorate our success than to provide educational experiences for children,” said Harolynn Wofford, PSO Community Affairs Manager.

“Also, we call our support for early learning Planting Seeds of Opportunity. We’re planting seeds in early learning to foster opportunities for children and their future,” she added.

Week of the Young Child, April 14-20, is sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Activities during this time focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families.

PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), is an electric utility company serving 535,000 customers in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.  With headquarters in Tulsa, PSO has 4,269 megawatts of generating capacity and provides electricity to 232 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.