Q&A with Karen Twain: Why I Believe in Early School Success

Q&A with Karen Twain: Why I Believe in Early School Success

Karen Twain is the director of programs at Children’s Institute, overseeing our Early Works initiative in Yoncalla, Oregon and Southeast Portland, and CI’s newly launched Early School Success program.

A career educator, Twain was most recently the assistant superintendent at Tigard-Tualatin School District. Here, Twain shares more about her passion for early learning, and her perspective on what it means to connect the early years and early grades.


Tell us a little about your background as an educator and why you joined Children’s Institute as director of programs.

I was a peer tutor for kids with disabilities when I was in elementary school and absolutely loved it. I was a babysitter, camp counselor, and youth coach and always knew that I wanted to work with kids. I began my teaching career in first grade, then special education, and I was a school counselor.

After teaching and counseling, I went into administration and held several roles at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. All but my first year of teaching was in the Tigard-Tualatin School District.

After 33 years in public education, I felt in my heart that it was time for a change. I knew that if we wanted to work on really closing opportunity gaps, we needed to focus on what happens from birth to age 5. I am passionate about several things in education—inclusion, equity, and early learning. As director of programs, I have a unique opportunity to improve things at the district or system level, so that families and students are truly set up for academic and lifelong success.

 

Early Works began in 2010 as a learning laboratory for innovative practices in early education and a lot of that work informed the development of Early School Success, which is described as an initiative to better connect or align the early years and early grades. Can you describe, in simple terms, what that means for students and families?

When I talk about alignment or instructional alignment, what I’m trying to convey most simply is the idea that instead of two separate systems—preschool and elementary school—we need to think and act more holistically, so that children and families have a more seamless early education experience.

So first, consistency for children and families is important. Transitions from grade to grade can be the most challenging aspect of moving through the educational system. Classroom or instructional expectations can be different and students can find it unsettling and intimidating.

For example, a preschool teacher might allow students to finish their work and then move on to another activity. The next year’s kindergarten teacher may ask them to wait quietly at their desk until everyone is done before transitioning to the next activity.

These misaligned expectations may cause behavioral problems for some students. And because we know that student engagement is a strong predictor of later school success, it’s critical that we not underestimate children’s abilities to think, reason, and grapple with complex materials.

So, the more instruction is aligned, the less repetition there is in content, the higher level of engagement we will see for children. It’s also important to understand the role that social emotional and family engagement play in helping students reach their full potential.

Let’s talk about family engagement for a bit. I know that the Early School Success pilot districts [Forest Grove and Beaverton] have both chosen to focus on family engagement this year. Why?

Yes, right now, all the schools we are working with in both districts have identified family engagement as an area of focus. Family engagement is part of the DNA of early learning because it is a widely held belief among early educators that a huge part of student success comes when schools and educators have strong partnerships with families. We need to find a way to engage families in a more authentic way that builds on their existing assets, skills and knowledge, so they have a true voice in their children’s education.

Can you share more about what that looks like in the classrooms and at the school level?

At one school, they are using dialogue circles to get more input, help families feel more welcome in the school setting, and work through differences. This approach can serve as an example of aligning practices from preschool to fifth grade. We are looking for more opportunities like this to share these best practices with our school partners and bring more parents to the table to help shape what they think family engagement and their own children’s learning at school should look like.

At another school, they have been working to align developmentally appropriate practices with play and inquiry across their school. They have seen third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers asking for materials to promote these practices as they teach math, science, etc.

Another thing we are seeing is more vertical teacher collaboration, or collaboration across grade levels. We have heard some teachers say that this is the first time they have been invited to engage in these types of conversations. Just to be invited to the table to help co-design and create teaching and learning experiences is novel for many educators.

What should school leaders know about the way ESS operates that is different from other educational initiatives or professional development that their staff or communities may have been involved in in the past?

Children’s Institute serves as a facilitator and supports schools and districts in many ways. We are integrating human-centered design, improvement science, and equity to identify problems of practice. By using this in our professional development with districts, we have identified a process by which educators can become more aligned in their every day practices.

A less technical way to describe it is to say that this is a ground-up, rather than a top-down strategy. We want to work in partnership with learning communities, and really be driven by collaboration—to honor the existing strengths and expertise of local communities—rather than to come in and say, “I have a solution!”

We believe that’s going to offer a more enduring and effective path forward.

What do you hope to achieve with ESS? What is the ultimate vision?

Well, I think it’s important to be honest and say upfront that transforming the early learning experience for children, families, and communities will take time.

It’s a really tall order and we have many equity-related, engagement-related, instructional, and structural barriers that we need to overcome in order to be successful. But I believe that if we stay diligent and collaborate, we will have students, families, and educators feeling good and successful about their work in the schools. Ultimately, the dream is to make serious progress in closing opportunity and achievement gaps.

The COVID-19 pandemic has really turned the education world upside down. What are some of the challenges that have come up for P-5 work as a result? Do you see any opportunities?

This is a time to work closely with families. There is an opportunity to build on relationships as we work together to educate children while they’re home. How can we support our schools to support their families to support their children? If we can do this, then children will continue to learn in some way.

Clearly, online learning is a challenge, so we are making suggestions of appropriate ways to help families in their current situation. Not everyone can get on a computer or do packets so by understanding the context for each child and family, we can help them during this difficult time.

 

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ELD Updates Guidance, Announces $8M in Grants for Emergency Child Care Providers

ELD Updates Guidance, Announces $8M in Grants for Emergency Child Care Providers

Oregon’s Early Learning Division issued updated guidance for emergency child care providers and announced that $8 million in new grant funding will soon be available to all current emergency care providers thanks to funding allocated to Oregon through the federal CARES act.

Changes and Updates to Rules for Emergency Care Providers

Changes and updates to the emergency care rules and guidelines include:

  • School-based emergency care will end on June 30, 2020 unless the school provided child care prior to the emergency.
  • The Office of Child Care will no longer accept “pop-up” applications, unless there is additional child care capacity needed in the area.
  • Emergency child care providers are still required to serve children in stable groups of 10. The new guidance clarifies that teachers and staff must also remain a stable part of each group.
  • Care providers are now able to serve more than one stable group of 10 children, provided the groups are kept in separate, exclusive rooms. Common areas like bathrooms, eating areas and outdoor areas may be shared in separate shifts. If a care provider is interested in serving more than one group of 10 children, they will need to contact their licensing specialist for approval.
  • Existing health and safety procedures developed in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority are still in effect and emergency providers are reminded that they cannot refuse enrollment to a child of an essential worker based simply on the belief that they may be more likely to contract the virus.

The full guide for temporary emergency child care providers is available here.

 

Emergency Care Providers Now Eligible for Non-Competitive Grants

spanish ecc grant from eld

This non-competitive grant will distribute $8 million in funds allocated to Oregon through the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act. Providers must submit their applications by May 11. More information and online application is available here.

 

Survey Deadline Extended to May 1

All child care providers—emergency or not—are encouraged to provide feedback on a survey designed to inform the state’s plans for reopening businesses. The survey is available in multiple languages through the links below:

English

Español (Spanish)

русский (Russian)

简体中文 (Simplified Chinese)

繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese)

Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

 

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Financial Lifeline Urgently Needed to Prevent Child Care Closures

CI’s COVID-19 News and Resources Page

Home-Based Care Closes, Owner Struggles to Pay Rent

You can make an impact!

We know you care about young children and their families in Oregon. Turn your caring into action. Your tax deductible contribution allows us to continue our outreach to communities across Oregon impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Your generous donation makes a difference!

Oregon Child Care Provider Survey Deadline EXTENDED to May 1.

Oregon Child Care Provider Survey Deadline EXTENDED to May 1.

UPDATE: Oregon’s Early Learning Division has extended the deadline for their child care provider survey to Friday, May 1. Links to the survey in additional languages are also available through the links below.

It’s important for child care providers to weigh in on what they need to operate safely as the governor’s office will be using feedback to inform reopening plans.

English:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HVSRSRZ

Spanish:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Span2XHYG92

Russian:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RusCZ3QSZ2

Simplified Chinese:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ChSimC5Y6CLQ

Traditional Chinese

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ChTradJC39P6C

Vietnamese:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VietJXWSM8Y

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Financial Lifeline Urgently Needed to Prevent Child Care Closures

CI’s COVID-19 News and Resources Page

Home-Based Care Closes, Owner Struggles to Pay Rent

Financial Lifeline Urgently Needed to Prevent Mass Child Care Closures

Financial Lifeline Urgently Needed to Prevent Mass Child Care Closures

Note: The Small Business Administration announced Thursday morning that the $349 billion fund for the Paycheck Protection Program referenced in this post has run out. Talks are underway about adding more funding.

As financial assistance programs roll out to small businesses across the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, early care and education providers in Oregon are reporting long waits and sometimes confusing guidance as they attempt to save their programs from permanent closure.

In addition to federal aid like the Paycheck Protection Program, a range of city, state, and nonprofit loans and grants are being offered to small businesses, often with separate application processes and documentation requirements.

While help is welcome and urgently needed, early childhood care and education providers are anxious about delays in response and follow up on applications they rushed to file as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered their programs with little warning. That’s similar to the experience businesses have had in many other industries.

But advocates and providers point out that the integral role that child care plays in supporting frontline workers now and in future economic recovery efforts should elevate their status in relief efforts.

Not Just Another Small Business

In an email, Sahra Alizadeh, owner of Sweet River Bamboo Preschool and Nursery in Northeast Portland wrote, “Child care should not be clumped with other small businesses. This industry needs its own line of support with direct liaisons to funding, information, and support. We need to be treated like the essential service that we are.”

Alizadeh also noted that smaller family and home-based programs are especially vulnerable, given their reduced administrative and resource capacity to gather required documentation or navigate varying application requirements and systems.

Even before the SBA funding ran out, many lenders were so overwhelmed by demand that they had already  stopped accepting new applications or were restricting them to existing customers with commercial accounts. One child care provider reported having to contact five different banks before she found one that would accept her Paycheck Protection Program application. Another reported that she was confused about whether applying for Prosper Portland’s relief fund  would violate another program’s rule against “double dipping.”

Weighing the Risks of Emergency Care

Oregon’s closure of schools and businesses included most child care and preschool programs, with the exception of those providing emergency care for children of essential workers and first responders. Adding to providers’ stress is weighing the financial and health risks for themselves and their staff if they answer the call to serve as emergency providers. To do so requires an additional application filing to Oregon’s Early Learning Division. Operating as an emergency care provider does not guarantee that enrollment will be high enough to cover operational costs, which may be higher due to additional health and safety measures in place.

Overall demand for child care cratered when Governor Kate Brown ordered non-essential businesses to close in March.  On Tuesday, the governor outlined a framework for lifting COVID-19 restrictions, but could not commit to a firm date for the state’s return to business as usual.

That leaves providers flying blind as they navigate through a cloud of economic uncertainty.

Kassie Krauciunas with students at Portland Preschool in Southeast Portland

“Everything is feeling like a huge gamble right now,” reported Kassandra Krauciunas, owner of Portland Preschool in Southeast Portland. “I need to decide to stick it out, or pull out before I lose more money.  I cannot afford my rent and utilities on my own without income.”

Growing Advocacy Efforts

Advocacy efforts for early care and education providers and workers have gained some traction. On Monday, Oregon Representative Suzanne Bonamici, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Senator Ron Wyden called for Congressional leaders to provide $50 billion for child care.

“Parents in Oregon can’t return to work without child care, but availability will be severely impacted if we can’t find a way to throw a lifeline to providers,” said Dana Hepper, Policy and Advocacy Director at Children’s Institute. “It makes sense to preserve the programs that are already in existence and not able to operate through no fault of their own.”

A survey of Oregon child care providers from the National Association for the Education of Young Children reported that one in four could not survive a closure of more than two weeks without financial support. One out of five reported that they could not survive a closure of any length.

For now, providers continue to wait and worry.

 

Escuela Viva has two locations, one in Southeast Portland and another in the Kenton neighborhood.

Angie Garcia, Program Director for Escuela Viva, shared concerns about her staff. “I am anxious to hire back all of my staff and get them back to work. They are worried and scared. Only a couple…have received a check from [unemployment insurance]. There are lots of barriers to staff getting the money they need to pay their bills.”

You can make an impact!

We know you care about young children and their families in Oregon. Turn your caring into action. Your tax deductible contribution allows us to continue our outreach to communities across Oregon impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Your generous donation makes a difference!

ELD Updates Guidance, Announces $8M in Grants for Emergency Child Care Providers

ODE Releases Schools from Some Emergency Care Requirements

Updated guidance from the Oregon Department of Education says that school districts will only be required to provide emergency child care if currently available care options have been exhausted. They are directed to continue operating district-run sites that are already open and to be ready with plans to open new sites if the ODE requests it.

That’s as demand for child care has continued to drop in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as parents work from home or aren’t working at all due to widespread layoffs. Private providers like KinderCare and the YMCA have reported steep declines in enrollment and many smaller and home-based care settings are struggling to stay in business.

A recent survey of early care and education providers in Oregon reported that just over 20 percent of programs could survive a sustained closure without public support to cover the losses sustained by COVID-19 related issues. Oregon was already struggling to provide adequate levels of affordable care before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the state.

The Early Learning Division reports that it has received 2,000 applications from providers who are registering to provide emergency care for the children of first responders and other essential workers working in industries like health care, transportation, and food and agriculture. It says there are approximately 9,500 vacant child care slots available throughout the state.

Families who unable to find child care or who are having difficulties affording care should call 211 for help. The Employment Related Day Care subsidy program has increased its income eligibility limits to about $70,000 for a family of four to receive subsidized child care, with co-pays currently waived.

The complete updated guidance and more information from ODE is available here.