See what’s happening at Children’s Institute
Ideas? Shared. Practices? Showcased. Energy? Reignited! 💥
Collaboration was in full bloom at last week’s ESS Spring Convening! 🌸 School teams across the network came together to reflect on their roles and shared mission, share fresh ideas, and plan next steps. The convening sparked new energy, strengthened connections, and set the stage for a strong finish to the year-and an even stronger start to the next.
Today, families from around the country gathered on Capitol Hill with their children in strollers for Strolling Thunder, a national day of action urging Congress to prioritize infants, toddlers, and their families led by @zerotothree.
Meanwhile, it`s election day in Oregon and local school board races are top of mind for many, as school boards make critical decisions that shape early learning and K-12 education in their districts. Remember to turn in your ballots by 8:00 p.m.!
In Oregon (and beyond) young children can’t wait. It’s time for elected leaders—at every level—to choose children.
#vote #electionday #oregon #washingtondc #strollingthunder #K12 #earlylearning #education
Join a giving community growing a future where every child has the love, care, and education they need!
Whether it`s $5 or $500, a monthly donation to Children`s Institute provides reliable, sustained support for young children and the people who care for them including:
👶🏽Consistent support for children’s early development
🌱Ongoing investment in educators, child care, and early learning
🏛Sustainable advocacy and systems-level work
Become a monthly donor at the link in bio or visit childinst.org/donate.
We’ve spent a lot of time with educators across Oregon this year, helping to guide school teams through the Early School Success Academy and connecting with our ESS partners multiple times for shared learnings and reflection through our cross-network meetings. We feel so much joy in being able to connect with our school and culturally specific community partners over the course of the school year. 🌈❤️
In honor of Educator Appreciation Week (and every week!), let’s recognize the many extraordinary educators who are dedicated to nurturing young minds and strengthening the foundation of education from early learning through elementary school and beyond! We are endlessly grateful for all the teachers, educators, administrators, instructional assistants, SPED teachers, and educational mentors who make a profound impact in the lives of children and youth (and us!!) every day. Your passion and perseverance create a ripple effect that extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. We see you and appreciate you! ✨🤩
#teacherappreciation #educatorappreciation
✨Attention Oregon Educators!✨
Are you passionate about early learning?
The Learning Loop is the newsletter you’ve been waiting for! Stay connected with the latest updates, success stories, and exclusive resources to support your work in the classroom or school district.
Join our growing community of educators shaping the future of early education in Oregon.
🔗 Sign up today and be in the loop! Link in bio
Thank you, advocates for showing up and choosing children at Early Childhood Advocacy Day.
Today, a dedicated community of early childhood advocates from across Oregon spoke up for Oregon’s youngest children and their families. They spoke to legislators and their staff about critical priorities: expanding access to early learning and care, supporting maternal-child health, and strengthening family supports.
These are investments that help kids thrive and build a stronger Oregon for everyone.
We are grateful for all of the legislators—new faces and existing champions—who made space to listen and center children today. We know that the Oregon Legislature is facing pressure and uncertainty, but children can`t wait. The ECC continues to call on lawmakers to choose children in their decisions through the end of the 2025 session.
Advocacy is for everyone! Want to take action? There is still time in this session to email your legislator and urge them to support early investments. If you`re not sure who your representative is, we`ve added a link in our bio to help you find them.
A Year of Transformation
What if Oregon was the BEST place to be a kid? What would that look like? Feel like? Sound like? Children’s institute is on journey to help make this so, one policy, strategy, partnership, and investment at a time. 2022 marked a year of joy, discovery, learning, and evolution for Children’s Institute. It brought a refreshed vision and mission, new organizational values, and a three-year strategic plan building on the past two decades of impact. These critical cornerstones helped us redefine our commitment to children and their well-being, keep us grounded in equity, and ensure that children furthest from opportunity have what they need to thrive.
Last year, we expanded our work with school communities across the state with our Early School Success initiative and our Early Learning Academy. We saw the advocacy efforts of Oregon’s Early Childhood Coalition secure $100 million to strengthen the child care sector. Children’s Institute and our partners helped launch the nation’s first social-emotional health kindergarten readiness metric which will change how Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations support healthy development for children.
A Year of Transformation
What if Oregon was the BEST place to be a kid? What would that look like? Feel like? Sound like? Children’s institute is on journey to help make this so, one policy, strategy, partnership, and investment at a time. 2022 marked a year of joy, discovery, learning, and evolution for Children’s Institute. It brought a refreshed vision and mission, new organizational values, and a three-year strategic plan building on the past two decades of impact. These critical cornerstones helped us redefine our commitment to children and their well-being, keep us grounded in equity, and ensure that children furthest from opportunity have what they need to thrive.
Last year, we expanded our work with school communities across the state with our Early School Success initiative and our Early Learning Academy. We saw the advocacy efforts of Oregon’s Early Childhood Coalition secure $100 million to strengthen the child care sector. Children’s Institute and our partners helped launch the nation’s first social-emotional health kindergarten readiness metric which will change how Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations support healthy development for children.
Making Oregon the best place to be a kid will be an all-hands on deck effort. Everyone has a role to play but we hope to catalyze this change through policy, advocacy, research, and direct work with schools and school districts across the state. The good news is that we’re just getting started, and we’re so excited for what 2023 has in store. For Oregon to succeed, our children must also. Stay tuned and join us!
– Kali Thorne Ladd, Chief Executive Officer
Renewed Commitment
As board chair, I had the pleasure of working with a dedicated team of staff and board members at Children’s Institute throughout 2022 to write a new mission, vision, and strategic plan. This reframing has galvanized the commitment to early childhood from partners and investors near and far. As a former Head Start student, this is personal for me. Those early opportunities gave me a foundation for success in school and life that I was fortunate to have. Children’s Institute represents a commitment to building a movement, so every child gets those same opportunities. We know investing in early childhood is good for the economy, good for business, and good for families. But what’s most important is doing what’s best for children. Children’s Institute brings that to life and helps us all drive toward a socially just and equitable future for each child in Oregon.
– Bob Harding, Board Chair
Children’s Institute Strategic Plan 2022-2025
In 2022, Children’s Institute enacted a three-year strategic plan focused on strengthening and transforming the state’s early childhood system. This coincided with a new mission, vision, and values, which guided our strategic planning efforts and resulted in a strategic plan grounded in equity.
Our Values
Honor
We see children as complete people and value their contributions to the world. We honor all children and families by centering their humanity, respecting their dignity and self-determination, and uplifting community wisdom and voice.
Equity
We center and advance equity in all of our work.
Learning
We embrace multiple ways of knowing and pursue growth and learning through research and our connections with each other, the children and families we serve, and the communities in which we operate.
Innovation
We will be bold, think creatively, and take risks to ensure that we are doing all we can to help children thrive.
Connectedness
We believe children develop and grow in connected communities, so we work to build bridges and deepen our relationships with and in families, communities, and systems to support early learning practices.
“Julie Young has been a persistent, tireless advocate for the needs of young children. She is also one of the most gracious, compassionate people that I know. Her combination of grace and grit have proven to be a powerful force in improving the lives of children.” – Nan Waller, former Children’s Institute Board Member
On December 1, 2022, Children’s Institute presented Julie Young with the Alexander Award for her dedication and commitment to ensuring that young children in Oregon have the love, education, and care they need.
Julie is a former social worker, served on Children’s Institute’s Board of Directors from 2008-2022, and has been a tireless early childhood advocate for decades. She has been integral in supporting and advancing early childhood policies in Oregon.
Her endless commitment to children and families has been instrumental in making Oregon the best place to be a kid.
Dick Alexander made a lasting impression on me twenty years ago when he lobbied passionately and successfully for early childhood investments, rightly recognizing this as a nonpartisan issue with statewide social and economic benefits. It was a great and humbling honor to be given an award with Dick’s name on it, and to be recognized by an organization that’s committed to every child having opportunities for success beginning prenatally.
Early School Success and Early Learning Academy
Early School Success (ESS) is transforming learning for children from preschool through fifth grade. By engaging school communities across Oregon, ESS aims to create seamless, equitable, neuroscience-informed and age-appropriate learning experiences for every child.
The Early Learning Academy is a cohort-based learning experience for educators and leaders working to strengthen early learning in their districts.This opportunity is built on 12 years of experience partnering with school districts across Oregon to create and strengthen early learning, fit to local contexts, through our Early Works and Early School Success initiatives.
Early Learning Academy 2022-2023
In 2022, we held our second Early Learning Academy (ELA), which included district teams from Baker City, Centennial, Columbia Gorge Education Service District (ESD), Douglas ESD, Hillsboro, Medford, Ontario, Philomath, Roseburg, South Lane, and Tigard-Tualatin. Each ELA cohort participates in three, 6-hour learning sessions with an additional five team coaching sessions.
ELA Learning Outcomes
Highlights from Yoncalla
It has become clear that Yoncalla Early Works has become a model for other schools and communities in the region, with neighboring districts reaching out to Yoncalla administrators to learn from the program and implement strategies in their own communities. In 2022, Yoncalla continued to strengthen early learning, family engagement, health, and staff wellbeing and support.
2022 Bright Spots:
Advocates secured nearly $100 million in early childhood investments
Although Oregon’s 2022 legislative session lasted only five weeks, Oregon’s Early Childhood Coaliion tirelessly advocated for early childhood investments. Ultimately, the Oregon Legislature passed nearly $100 million dollars to help stabilize the child care sector, support early childhood providers, and ensure more families would have access to early childhood opportunities.
Children’s Institute launched an online policy resource for Oregon lawmakers
In 2022, Children’s Institute established an online resource for legislators. This webpage serves as a hub for resources on the early childhood landscape and policy in Oregon, including policy briefs, articles, and reports.
Policy Brief
Facilities Investments Would Build Capacity for Oregon’s Early Childhood System
The Early Link Podcast
Prioritizing Early Childhood in Oregon: A Discussion with State Rep. Karin Power & Rep. Jack Zika
Op-Ed
Oregon’s Kids Need Bold Leadership Now – The Oregonian
Revenue & Expenses
Ways to Support Children’s Institute
Save the Date!
Join us October 19, 2023 to celebrate 20 years of impact.
We know know you care about young children and families. Turn your caring into action and help us make Oregon the best place to be a kid.