Paula Hyatt on how Ashland Invests in Families, Kids, and the Economy

by Aditi Sharma | Nov 25, 2024 | Podcast

Summary

In this episode of The Early Link Podcast, we explore what the city of Ashland, Oregon is doing to improve access to child care and early learning in the city and the region. Ashland is located in Southern Oregon, not far from the California border, and has a population of about 22,000 residents. It is known for being one of the best small towns in America and for the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival. But in this interview, we’ll raise some visibility for the work happening in the city to support young children and their families. Paula Hyatt, an Ashland city councilor, has taken a lead role in this work. With a background in finance and banking, national defense and healthcare, she’s been keenly interested in the importance of a diversified economy and the need to bring people together to create solutions for kids and working families.

“So why did the council do that? Why did we feel that that was a good use of our resources? It’s largely because when you do these investments, you are investing in families, but you’re also investing in your local economy. If you have folks who have quality care for their kids, they can pursue the employment they’re seeking, they can pursue higher education, which in turn means there’s a greater labor pool for folks to hire from, less turnover for employers. So, it tends to be symbiotic in that it helps the families, but it also helps our local business.”

Children's Institute · Paula Hyatt on how Ashland Invests in Families, Kids, and the Economy

More about The Early Link Podcast

The Early Link Podcast highlights national, regional, and local voices working in early childhood education and the nonprofit sector. The podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Rafael Otto, Children’s Institute’s director of communications.

Listen to more episodes of the Early Link Podcast here or stream on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

Nevin Van Manen on Community and Citizenship in Grants Pass

by Aditi Sharma | Nov 25, 2024 | Podcast

Summary

We visited Grants Pass, Oregon recently and spoke with Nevin Van Manen, the principal at Highland Elementary about school culture, and community, and what it means to be from Grants Pass, from Oregon, and from the United States. Special thanks to Adam Davis from Oregon Humanities for co-hosting this interview, and to the students and educators we’ve spoken with in Grants Pass who we’ve spoken with in recent months.

“Citizenship is how we treat one another. It’s how we are to each other, it’s how we help each other. Even if I don’t disagree, if you’re need of help, I’m going to help you. For some of our kids who struggle with all the horrible things that people are going through like poverty, the hope is can we break that cycle somehow… can we break the cycle of feeling like you’re just stuck in this.”

Children's Institute · Nevin Van Manen on Community and Citizenship in Grants Pass

More about The Early Link Podcast

Listen to more episodes of the Early Link Podcast here or stream on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

Exploring the World of Sound with Hayes Greenfield

by Aditi Sharma | Aug 20, 2024 | Podcast

Summary

Can you imagine a world without sound? Can you imagine a classroom of young learners exploring sound to spark creativity, learning, and play? In this segment, host Rafael Otto talks with Hayes Greenfield, the founder of Creative Sound Play, a sound-based, generative learning system for preschool students and teachers. He is also an award-winning musician, film composer, and sound artist. He has been working with young people in many ways for the past 30 years, and that includes working as a teaching artist in public and private K-12 schools. He currently teaches at places like the National Head Start Association and the Global Childhood Academy.

“When we start to become sensitive and aware and invite sound in – all of a sudden sound becomes this incredible system that you can work with and engage children with because everybody can make sound.” – Hayes Greenfield

Tune in and share!

Children's Institute · Exploring the World of Sound with Hayes Greenfield

More about The Early Link Podcast

Listen to more episodes of the Early Link Podcast here or stream on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Apple Podcasts.

A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum Report

by Aditi Sharma | Jul 8, 2024 | What We're Reading, Preschool

Early childhood is a period of great developmental changes, setting the foundation for later learning and development.
– National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Decades of research have highlighted the significant benefits of high-quality preschool education. Yet, there remains a gap in understanding the effectiveness of preschool curricula, particularly for children who are historically (and currently) underserved. In the United States, preschool programs vary widely, with curriculum being essential in creating joyful and affirming early learning environments. Even with efforts to provide supportive settings, current preschool curricula often fall short in enhancing children’s math, early literacy, and science skills, and fail to adequately support multilingual learners’ emerging bilingualism.

Read the full report

What's in the report?

The report outlines and emphasizes key recommendations, focusing on equity and justice-focused principles in shaping new preschool curricula development. It underscores the value of acknowledging and celebrating each child’s unique identities and strengths to fully unleash the potential of preschool education.

How can we improve the preschool landscape?

The early childhood system is complex, with diverse program offerings resulting in very different preschool experiences for children. Those furthest from opportunities often face barriers to accessing high-quality learning opportunities. When accessible, these children are frequently enrolled in underfunded programs with lower-quality instruction.

Preschool curriculum plays a key role in shaping the quality of instruction, classroom environment, and early childhood development. It outlines children’s learning objectives, uses intentional teaching methods, and determines necessary educational resources.

Research indicates that well-implemented preschool curricula can significantly reduce disparities in math, language, literacy, and social-emotional skills among children entering kindergarten. These disparities, especially for Black and Latine children and economically disadvantaged children, underscore the urgent need for effective preschool education. However, many studies focus solely on English-speaking children, overlooking the linguistic strength and potential of multilingual learners.

What should a high-quality preschool curriculum include?

High-quality preschool curricula should ensure that children have access to diverse learning experiences, offer engaging content to spark their curiosity and excitement for learning. It should also include adaptable teaching methods that cater to their strengths and individual needs.

Research indicates that a high-quality preschool curriculum should:

- Integrate diverse perspectives, experiences, cultures, languages, strengths, and needs of children, families, and workforce settings.
- Focus on engaging children and promoting their agency through meaningful content.
- Create and implement well-designed learning experiences with clear objectives, responsive teaching strategies, ongoing assessments, and personalized support based on children’s abilities, backgrounds, interests, and dispositions.
- Align curriculum with children’s learning processes and proven research methods, affirm children’s cultural and linguistic identities, and provide effective support for children with disabilities.
- Demonstrate measurable benefits in both school performance and overall life outcomes for children and families served.

Looking forward

Recommendations for advancing the vision

Equity-driven preschool curricula: Guidance for content design, development, selection, and implementation
Empowering educators: Supports and professional development for equitable and effective curriculum implementation
Investing in equity: Funding mechanisms, policy strategies, and innovations to support selection and implementation of effective preschool curricula
Bridging the knowledge gap: Creating an evidence base to advance curriculum development and implementation

Priorities for the future

Although we have ample evidence of the positive effects of high-quality preschool, there is limited understanding of the impact and effectiveness of the curriculum.

This report recommends a comprehensive research plan to gather evidence on preschool curricula, standardize evaluation methods, and conduct large-scale studies involving multiple research teams.

While high-quality curricula alone cannot address all early education challenges, they play a vital role in improving the quality of children’s classroom experience. High-quality preschool curricula facilitate equitable, safe, healthy, affirming, and enriching learning environments, supporting children’s success in school and beyond.

This report was long overdue, and I am hopeful and excited about what more is to come in terms of implementing the recommendations. I hope that the federal government, philanthropists, and states will find ways to ensure that we advance preschool curriculum to meet the needs of our youngest learners.
– Marina Merrill, Director of Research & Strategy, Children’s Institute

Early School Success Partners Celebrate Accomplishments at Spring Event

by Aditi Sharma | May 9, 2024 | Educators and Workforce, Professional Learning, Early School Success

The pitter-patter of spring showers gave way to a steady hum of anticipation as Early School Success (ESS) school districts spent the day celebrating collective achievements, reflecting on triumphs and challenges, and envisioning the future of ESS in their school communities, on May 2 at Willamette ESD in Salem, OR.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in a series of hands-on activities designed to both encourage thoughtful conversation among colleagues, and simulate practices that they have implemented in their classrooms. For example, loose parts is an approach to play, based on the idea that when children are given a collection of objects (think pipe cleaners, beads, and buttons) they have more opportunity for engagement and creativity, as they tinker with an array of objects.

Additional stations included watercolors, clay, and musical instruments, with each medium becoming a canvas for self-expression and allowing educators to engage in their own play-based learning.

As attendees thought about their experiences from the past year and built their creations, every design represented their evolving perspectives and aspirations. From embracing multilingualism to fostering inclusive classrooms, each piece of art spoke to the group’s collective vision for student-centered learning.

Starla Nelson, principal at Oceanlake, shared that having different materials at the loose parts stations provided freedom of choice and expression.

“Similarly, having a variety of sensory materials in the classrooms can create empowered learning environments for the students,” she said.

Educators also spoke passionately about the positive impact of implementing change ideas in their classrooms. One educator shared that previously reluctant learners in the classroom found a voice and actively collaborated in group activities by using tangible objects to articulate their thoughts.

As the day continued, facilitators guided teams through exercises that emphasized building trust. Participants explored what it means to be student-centered and shared insights and ideas.

“I loved reflecting on the triad of trust. I made connections, learned new ideas, and gained new perspectives,” shared one participant.

Later in the day, teams completed a “dreamspace” activity, which included a lively discussion about the future of Early School Success. Educators also articulated a shared vision grounded in empathy and equity through collaborative brainstorming.

As the day concluded, participants expressed their appreciation through a final activity that embodied the spirit of teamwork and celebrating collective success.

Talisa Timms, continuous improvement specialist at Children’s Institute and one of the event facilitators, shared that she was honored to lead Early School Success teams through a day of reflection, dreaming, and planning.

“I am always in awe of how deeply committed school teams are to improving outcomes and shifting systems for kids, families, and their communities,’ Timms said.

Ultimately, the Early School Success spring cross-network meeting was more than just a gathering – it was a celebration of the unwavering dedication of educators who are committed to shaping a brighter future for students, families, and communities. And as participants departed, their hearts and minds brimming with inspiration, they carried with them seeds of change, ready to bloom and flourish in the days ahead.

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