Children’s Institute is thrilled to announce that our CEO, Kali Thorne Ladd, will co-chair Governor Kotek’s new Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable along with Sara Mickelson, a national expert in early childhood systems and former Chief of Programs and Chief of Staff for the Oregon Early Learning Division.

Thorne Ladd will also join our partner, Candice Williams, Executive Director at For All Families Oregon, and more early childhood experts to improve access to affordable, quality child care and preschool, and ultimately create a path for universal preschool in Oregon.

This announcement signals a collaborative effort among state and national early childhood leaders to strengthen the systems that support children in the first eight years of life: this is the heart of Children’s Institute’s work to ensure that every child is Great by Age 8.

Read the original announcement from the Governor’s Office below.

Governor Kotek Convenes Experts to Chart a Path to Universal Preschool for Oregon

Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable to start with assessing current state-funded early learning programs to identify gaps and recommend improvements, strengthen alignment

 

Salem, OR – Today, Governor Tina Kotek announced she is convening state and national early learning experts to provide recommendations to improve access to affordable, quality childcare and preschool across the state, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to preschool for all Oregon children.

 

“While President Trump freezes funds for childcare and undermines early education, Oregonians agree that children should have access to high-quality education, and that starts before kindergarten,” Governor Kotek said. “These leaders will work together to help us chart an actionable path for Oregon to achieve universal, statewide pre-k that working families can access and afford. Achieving this goal will help all children succeed and support the working families who make our economy grow.”

 

 

The first five years of a child’s life are a critical period for learning and growth. The First Five Years Fund, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring all children from birth to age five have access to high-quality, affordable early care and education, finds that children who receive a high-quality early childhood education are more likely to earn higher wages, live healthier lives, avoid the criminal justice system, raise strong families, and contribute to society.

 

Additionally, a lack of early childhood care and learning options hurts the state’s economy. The First Five Years Fund projects that Oregon’s economy loses $1.4 billion annually due to childcare challenges. Too often, parents face an impossible choice between missing work and caring for their children. For some, that means forgoing a job altogether.

 

Over the past decade, Oregon has made important progress in expanding access to quality preschool at both the state and local level. However, too many families still struggle to find and afford high-quality childcare and preschool.

 

The Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable (Roundtable) will work in phases to develop a blueprint for an Oregon where every family can access and afford high-quality childcare and preschool. The scope of the Roundtable’s recommendations includes:

 

• How to improve the state’s current childcare and preschool programs with existing resources.
• How to expand access and improve affordability of childcare for infants and toddlers across the state.
• How to achieve universal preschool access for 3-and 4-year-olds across all 36 Oregon counties.

The Roundtable will be chaired by Kali Thorne Ladd, CEO of Children’s Institute, and Sara Mickelson, a national expert in early childhood systems.

 

Thorne Ladd was previously the co-founder and executive director of KairosPDX, a culturally specific organization dedicated to eliminating educational opportunity and achievement gaps for historically underserved children. Thorne Ladd has a long track record of working to transform early learning and healthy development for children and families in Oregon. This has included serving as the chair of the board for Portland Community College, serving on the state’s Early Learning Council, and serving on the board of the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation based in Portland. Thorne Ladd has also worked on education strategies in the mayor’s office in the City of Portland and at the Oregon Department of Education.

 

“I am glad the Governor made the strategic decision to prioritize this conversation,” Thorne Ladd said. “Access to quality early learning has an enormous impact on Oregon’s economic prosperity and is essential for our children to thrive in school and in life.”

 

Mickelson recently served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Early Childhood Education & Care Department, where she managed an annual budget of over $700 million and led the teams responsible for New Mexico’s PreK expansion, home visiting, and childcare toward a universal system. Mickelson brings deep familiarity with Oregon’s specific landscape to the role, having previously served as Chief of Programs and Chief of Staff for the Oregon Early Learning Division. During her tenure in Salem, she led the budget development and implementation of the early learning portion of the Student Success Act, resulting in a historic doubling of the state’s early care and education budget and the creation of 15,000 new early learning opportunities.

 

“Expanding access to early childhood services isn’t just about policy; it’s about providing stability for working families and a strong start for children in their most important years of development,” Mickelson said. “Scaling an early learning system that truly works for every family, regardless of where they live in the state, is a critical undertaking. This starts with getting the plan right, creating a roadmap that is not just ambitious but sustainable and grounded in the reality of what Oregon parents need.”

 

“Governor Kotek’s leadership on universal preschool couldn’t come at a more critical moment,” said Candice Williams, Executive Director at For All Families Oregon (formerly Family Forward). “While we face alarming kindergarten readiness gaps and a childcare crisis that’s costing Oregon’s economy billions, this roundtable can be a source of hope for Oregon families. We’ve seen what happens when early learning programs work: children thrive, parents can go to work, and communities prosper. But we’ve also seen too many families struggle to find quality, affordable care. This effort must address the urgent needs of working families across all 36 counties and ensure every child has access to the strong start they deserve. This is about building an Oregon where families don’t have to choose between their paycheck and their child’s care and development.”

 

The Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable follows a series of actions the Governor has taken to improve public education at every level. That work has included the highest level of K-12 funding support in Oregon history, new investments in science-backed reading instruction, a statewide cell phone ban in schools, and the expansion of summer learning opportunities. The Governor’s collective efforts to tackle education challenges in Oregon helped contribute to a record high 82% high school graduation rate in 2025.