Lessons from ESS: Student Voice Shapes Stronger Classrooms

by Celeste Yager-Kandle | Feb 12, 2025 | Educators and Workforce, Professional Learning, Successful Students, Early School Success

Nearly 50 educators from across Oregon met at Vose Elementary School for a learning lab in partnership with Early School Success (ESS), an initiative through Children’s Institute that provides coaching and support to educators working with students from preschool through fifth grade.

The learning lab focused on how centering student voice, which means prioritizing students’ ideas and feelings, is a powerful tool to strengthen classrooms and help students feel like they are part of the school community.

Children’s Institute CEO Kali Thorne Ladd shared opening remarks, with inspiration from Italian educator Loris Malaguzzi. Malaguzzi founded the Reggio Emilia approach, a teaching method and philosophy that encourages educators to wonder and explore with children about what they experience, think, and feel.

“It’s our job [as educators] to listen to children—to watch them, to heed them, and to guide them,” said Thorne Ladd. “The idea isn’t that we are just telling them everything, but that they have something to give us.”

Talisa Timms, a continuous improvement specialist at Children’s Institute, facilitated the learning and emphasized that students are more likely to participate in school when they feel like their voice matters.

“If a student feels like their voice is being heard, they’re more likely to use it,” said Timms. “So that will increase student engagement and attendance.”

Talisa Timms, continuous improvement specialist, facilitated the learning lab.

Early School Success in Practice

As an exercise in practice, learning lab participants held empathy interviews with fifth graders, creating a space for students to share their thoughts on their school experiences. The interviews helped educators understand students’ perspectives on what makes them feel included and engaged at school.

A few key themes that emerged from empathy interviews with students included the importance of collaboration, connection, and belonging; relationships with peers and teachers; and having choice in their own learning experience.

Learning lab attendees worked in groups to identify themes from empathy interviews.

Themes were similar across groups and emphasized connection and collaboration.

Attendees also had the chance to observe ESS strategies in action, including Habits of Mind, a set of behaviors that guide students in approaching problems with curiosity and critical thinking. Another key strategy, Playful Inquiry, uses hands-on exploration to answer real-world questions.

“It has really helped us take our priority of having an equity lens to our work and combine that with research and best practices,” said Vose Elementary Principal Monique Singleton. “This approach helps us support students both where they are now and where we want to help them grow.”

Vose Elementary School Principal, Monique Singleton

Ultimately, ESS learning labs are designed to empower both teachers and students. By providing educators with tools and strategies, they can create more opportunities for student growth, engagement, and voice in the classroom.

Learn more about Early School Success:

Cornelius Elementary’s Early School Success

by Celeste Yager-Kandle | Oct 2, 2024 | 3rd Grade Reading, Dual Language Learners, Parents and Families, School Readiness, Successful Students, Early School Success

With the hint of an autumn chill in the air, Cornelius Elementary School and Children’s Institute kicked off a Learning Tour on October 1, eager to showcase how their partnership is strengthening early learning for children and enhancing teaching practices for educators in Forest Grove, OR.

The Learning Tour was a unique opportunity for Oregon policymakers, school district administrators, funders, and state agencies to see firsthand how Children’s Institute’s Early School Sucess initiative collaborates with school communities.

Attendees began to stream in just ahead of the event’s start time, finding themselves in an inviting space as they huddled together in the school’s library.

Kali Thorne Ladd, CEO of Children’s Institute, opened the tour with an inspiring message and commitment to collaboration with the early childhood and K-12 education systems, and state agencies.

“We want to be that middle of the wheel that helps move things forward,” she said. “We are proudly a statewide organization, and we take that very seriously to ensure that both urban and rural communities have access to the supports and resources they need to thrive.”

Expanding Preschool through Early School Success

In 2015, Children’s Institute worked with early childhood partners and advocates to develop and successfully pass legislation for Preschool Promise. In the years following, Children’s Institute developed the Early School Success initiative, which launched in 2019 with a focus on supporting preschool expansion in school districts across Oregon.

Preschool Promise is a mixed delivery program, meaning that community-based organizations, family care providers, and school districts can offer Preschool Promise to families at 200 percent or below the Federal Poverty Level. School districts provide 33 percent of Preschool Promise programs, making them the largest provider of the state’s publicly funded preschool, outside of Head Start.

Children’s Institute’s ESS model helps school districts build quality preschool programming and align their preschool programs to the early grades, through grade 5. Forest Grove was one of the first school districts to receive an ESS grant. Since partnering with Children’s Institute, the district has doubled its preschool classrooms.

Bilingual Biliteracy Focus

Cornelius Elementary is a dual language school, where all students learn in both Spanish and English. The school has embraced a biliteracy approach starting in preschool, with a focus on native language literacy and gradually introducing a second language. This ensures that students develop literacy skills in both languages.

Data collected by the school in 2023-2024 shows significant growth in both math and literacy among students, demonstrating how biliteracy reinforces children’s strengths and promotes academic success.

Hover over image and click arrows to see literacy and math data.

An Inside Look at Cornelius Elementary

With a guide, small groups of attendees ventured through the halls to see the preschool and elementary grade classrooms in action. Curious eyes investigated as new faces entered the room. But mostly, children were deeply engaged in learning.

As the classroom tours concluded, groups reconnected in the library for lunch and were joined by 4th and 5th graders excited to share about themselves and their school.

Progress on Early Education

The Learning Tour at Cornelius Elementary provided a comprehensive look at how Children’s Institute is helping to make progress in Oregon’s early education system, reinforcing the need for continued support and investment in early childhood education to ensure that all children in Oregon have the love, care, and education they need to thrive.

It also demonstrated how ESS is working with school communities to strengthen classroom practices, align and improve instruction, support joyful learning environments and family engagement, and shift funding to prioritize the foundational early years of a child’s life.

Special Thanks

We want to extend gratitude to Cornelius Elementary School staff for hosting this event with us and being a stellar ESS partner. We also want to thank everyone in the room who joined the Learning Tour, including Forest Grove Superintendent, Dr. Suzanne West; Oregon State representatives and elected officials; folks from the Oregon Department of Education, and Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care; funders, and other esteemed colleagues. Thank you for your dedication to making sure Oregon kids have quality early learning and care, and educators have the support they need.

Advocates Push for Early Childhood Solutions on Capitol Hill

by Celeste Yager-Kandle | Aug 21, 2024 | News, Federal Policy, Oregon Policy

Last month’s global travel outages didn’t stop Children’s Institute from joining other early childhood advocates in the nation’s capital to meet with Congressional delegates, to talk about how to address some of Oregon’s biggest child care challenges.

In late July, the Alliance for Early Success hosted StateFedConnect in Washington, D.C. This annual convening provides an opportunity for state partners in the Alliance network to build community with other advocates and engage with Congressional representatives about early childhood issues impacting their local communities.

Children’s Institute’s policy and advocacy staff and CEO, Kali Thorne Ladd, gathered on Capitol Hill to participate in the two-day event, which included insightful funding updates from the First Five Years Fund; a powerful bipartisan child care proposal from two U.S. senators; and several promising meetings with members of Oregon’s congressional delegation.

The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) spoke about the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which funds Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) in Oregon. Earlier this year, FFYF released a collection of fact sheets from all 50 states, detailing how the CCDBG helps children and families. Read Oregon’s here.

They also discussed how updating the federal tax code is an important part of the solution to strengthen child care in the United States. This will be especially important in the coming months, as Oregon will introduce a new tax package beginning in 2025 and advocates want to ensure that early childhood and child care tax incentives are a priority in this conversation.

The ‘Boldest’ Bipartisan Proposal to Make Child Care More Affordable

In what is being hailed as the “boldest bipartisan proposal to make child care more affordable,” U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), introduced the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act—two pieces of legislation that would make child care more affordable and accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower child care costs, and increasing the supply of child care providers.

This is an exciting proposal that comes at a critical time for children, families, and child care workers who are deeply impacted by the worsening child care crisis.

Oregon’s Champions in Congress

Children’s Institute staff had the opportunity to meet with five members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation, including Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Representative Andrea Salinas and Congressman Earl Blumenauer; and Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden.

In these meetings, we talked about the Child and Adult Care Food Program bill and plans to introduce legislation in Oregon that would increase food reimbursement for child care providers. We also discussed early childhood behavioral health, and the importance of maternal and child health during pregnancy and postpartum; citing the federal Momnibus Act and Oregon’s Momnibus bill, legislation that will be introduced in the 2025 legislative session.

Congresswoman Bonamici has been the lead champion in Congress for improving the Child and Adult Care Food Program. We appreciate her continued leadership on this issue, and hope that Oregon legislation can bolster this bipartisan effort in Congress.

We are also deeply appreciative of Senator Wyden’s innovative approach to revenue, tax credits, and his ideas about how, as a nation, we can do more collectively to support children and families. Wyden’s ardent support of the CHIPs Act, which includes a clear plan for child care, is a testament to his forward-thinking leadership.

In continued conversations around supporting early childhood behavioral health, Representative Salinas shared her passion for and commitment to working on these issues, and is looking at what she can do to support the behavioral health workforce.

Children's Institute staff meets with U.S. Congressional delegate, Andrea Salinas in her office in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2024.

Photo (from left): Dana Hepper, director of Policy and advocacy; Elena Barreto, senior early childhood policy advisor; Representative Andrea Salinas; and Kali Thorne Ladd, CEO, Children’s Institute pose in Rep. Salinas’ office in Washington D.C., on July 23, 2024.

We were thankful for the time that we spent with Congressional leaders and excited to hear vocal support for these priorities.

“In Oregon, we’re fortunate to have congressional leaders who are committed to children and families,” said Thorne Ladd (pictured above). “These are leaders who are advancing equity and opportunity for all children and are dedicated to transformational change.”

We made the most of our trip to Washington, D.C., engaging with a passionate network of early childhood advocates and exploring hopeful legislative avenues that would benefit infants, young children, and parents. Although our advocacy work is in perpetual motion, we will continue to track federal efforts and we are optimistic about making notable progress to secure a brighter future for children and families in Oregon’s 2025 legislative session.

Early Learning Partners Reveal Resources, Funding to Support Oregon’s Early Literacy Plan

by Celeste Yager-Kandle | May 24, 2024 | News, Oregon Policy, Successful Students

Oregon will soon disburse funds for early childhood literacy, as part of the Early Literacy Success Initiative. In 2023, lawmakers passed this legislation to help young children access more early literacy learning opportunities. The initiative also aims to increase early literacy from birth through third grade, reduce literacy academic disparities, and increase support to parents and guardians so they can be partners in the development of their child’s early literacy skills and knowledge.

This week, Children’s Institute (CI) hosted a webinar to elevate the importance of an intentional focus on early literacy strategies for early child care providers, educators, and families; and share funding updates.

Watch the recording

In the coming months, new funding will make its way to Early Learning Hubs and the Early Childhood Equity fund. Oregon school districts have also applied for grant funding through the Oregon Department of Education and can expect to see those grants soon.

The webinar also revealed a new library of curated early literacy resources for parents and caregivers; early learning educators, providers, and practitioners; and policymakers to use to support children in developing early literacy skills and knowledge.

The majority of webinar participants reported that they will apply the information they learned in the webinar to their work, and we hope that you will find something useful here, too!

For more information about early literacy or help navigating the resources, please contact Marina Merrill, director of research and strategy, at marina@childinst.org.

Children’s Institute Launches Early Literacy Resources

by Celeste Yager-Kandle | Mar 7, 2024 | News, Preschool

We know that a child’s earliest experiences set the foundation for all future learning and that 90 percent of brain development happens before age 5. When young children develop language skills and learn to read, they are better equipped to engage in learning and become empowered to learn.

Recently, Children’s Institute partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest (REL NW) to collect existing, readily accessible resources on evidence-based literacy practices for children ages birth through grade 3.

We are excited to share this compilation of resources with families and caregivers, early childhood educators and practitioners, and policymakers who want to support young children in developing the literacy and language skills they need to thrive.

For questions or help navigating these resources, please contact Marina Merrill, director of research and strategy, at marina@childinst.org.

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