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Making Oregon the best place to be a kid.
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Children's Institute
Making Oregon the best place to be a kid.
Investing in High Quality Pre-K: A Strategy for School Success

Investing in High Quality Pre-K: A Strategy for School Success

by | Nov 11, 2012 | CI Publications, National Research, School Readiness

Investing in High Quality Pre-K: A Strategy for School SuccessIssue Brief 2
There is an urgent need to invest in early childhood education for the future of Oregon and its citizens. To be economically competitive, Oregon must produce more high school and college graduates and a more highly trained and skilled workforce. To accomplish this, we must ensure all children come to school ready to succeed.

The economic and scientific research is clear. Young children are hard-wired to learn from birth. We lose a vital opportunity if we do not help them succeed during the most critical window of brain development — from 0-5. When we provide young children with a high quality pre-kindergarten experience and support their healthy development, their chances of succeeding in school and life increase tremendously.

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Oregon Children’s Budget Project

Oregon Children’s Budget Project

by | Oct 11, 2012 | CI Publications, Oregon Policy, Oregon Research

Oregon Children's Budget Project2000-2005
In 2005, the Children’s Institute commissioned ECONorthwest to produce this Oregon Children’s Budget. We asked ECONorthwest to answer the question: what federal, state and foundation spending is devoted to low-income children in Oregon? As basic as this question may seem, the answer to it was unknown with any detail before the publication of this report.

Our goal in asking this question and commissioning this report is to help decision-makers and the general public better understand how Oregon addresses the needs of low-income children, so that resources can be
allocated in a way that has the greatest possible benefit. The information in this report will serve as a baseline for comparing future spending and resource allocation.

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Early Childhood Development: Investing in Oregon’s Economic Future

Early Childhood Development: Investing in Oregon’s Economic Future

by | Aug 11, 2012 | Health and Development, CI Publications, Oregon Policy, Oregon Research, School Readiness

Early Childhood Development: Investing in Oregon's Economic Future Issue Brief 1
Building and sustaining a robust Oregon economy in the midst of intense global competition depends on a highly educated and skilled workforce. And yet, we are failing to invest in our future workers, parents, and citizens when we get the greatest return — in the early years of life. Instead, we continue to direct limited resources to late stage treatments such as remedial education, jails, and public assistance — we respond to crises instead of preventing them.

In the process, thousands of children have been robbed of reaching their potential to contribute to their community and the economy. We can still choose what kind of state we want to be. Now is the time to change our thinking and direct our scarce resources to those strategies that have achieved the greatest results.

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