2019 Legislative Recap

by Rafael Otto | Jul 3, 2019 | Podcast, Oregon Policy, Policy Trends

Dana Hepper from Children’s Institute and James Barta from Children First for Oregon provide a legislative recap to close out the 2019 session. In this segment, they discuss the final days that resulted in passage of nearly 150 bills, including all remaining bills from the Early Childhood Coalition legislative agenda. Among the highlights are bills that fund universally available voluntary home visiting and create a task force on child care. Oregon also passed HB 2005 which creates a paid family and medical leave insurance program by 2023.

While the 2019 legislative session resulted in historic investments in children and families, Dana and James reflect on the work ahead. That includes advocacy efforts to support the Student Success Act. The way in which this bill is funded will likely be referred to voters in January 2020. It also includes the work of implementing new programs, a focus on ensuring program quality, and continued advocacy in the months and years ahead.

Listen here:

Early School Success: Bridging the Early Years, Early Grades

by Rafael Otto | Jun 10, 2019 | Successful Students, Preschool, Early School Success

As Swati Adarkar, Children’s Institute’s (CI) president and CEO, reflected on her organization’s experience with Early Works—an initiative launched in 2010 that set out to improve the learning experiences for children before they enter kindergarten—she found that the work had fundamentally transformed CI.

“Early Works helped CI shift from a more traditional advocacy organization into one committed to better understanding the policies and strategies for which it was advocating,” Adarkar said. “That included building partnerships with schools, families, and communities to go deep in the work, to help us get clear on what works and what the field needs.”

Early Works helped CI discover the growing interest among elementary educators in strengthening the connection to early learning strategies like preschool and improving how they engaged with parents. This led to the development of Early School Success (ESS)—the next iteration of CI’s work to transform educational practice in the early years.

In 2010, CI introduced Early Works, a learning laboratory for innovative practices in early education. The first site, at Earl Boyles Elementary School in Southeast Portland, was created in partnership with Mt. Hood Community College Head Start, the Multnomah Early Childhood Program, and the David Douglas School District. In 2012, the Ford Family Foundation and CI partnered with the Yoncalla School District to launch a site in Douglas County. Early Works has helped to inspire new public and private funding, as well as drive policy changes in the care and education of young children in Oregon.

An Evolving Approach

“What we kept seeing and hearing from families was that once you’ve experienced a high-quality early learning environment, once you’ve been a part of a highly-engaged parent and school community, it’s really difficult to accept anything less,” says Dr. Marina Merrill, CI’s director of research and evaluation.

CI wanted to ensure that the social-emotional, academic, and other gains that students and families achieved in high-quality early learning environments from birth to 5 were preserved and built upon as they moved into the elementary school years.

“Right now, we have these different worlds—preschool and K–5—that typically don’t align or integrate. But the science of learning tells us children need seamless learning experiences from birth into the elementary years,” said Adarkar.

The number of school districts and communities working to strengthen early learning has been growing. This includes more parents and educators working together to address learning as children move into kindergarten and through school.

“It’s complex work,” Adarkar said. “It takes time, but it’s also helped us discover what’s needed for schools, districts, kids, and families.”

Among the needs: a common language to help define the need and importance of early learning, more professional learning, a focus on instruction, and concentrated efforts to connect the early years to the early grades.

Grounded in Research

True to its research-based origins, CI spent time drinking deeply from the well of existing knowledge about how best to support early learning across preschool and the early grades. In 2016, CI conducted an analysis of Oregon’s existing preschool landscape. In 2018, staff crisscrossed the country visiting school districts leading the way to align and integrate preschool with elementary education. Educators, parents, and community partners continued to inform and advise as the design for ESS began to take shape.

“Ultimately, we found no magic curriculum. No magic program,” said Soobin Oh, senior early education advisor at CI. “[Success] was always driven by a community coming together with a focus on instruction and classroom practices. A huge part of this work is about collaborating and problem solving with communities.”

In deciding to forge its own path, rather than simply adopting or applying an existing program, CI is creating a unique opportunity for school districts to learn, evolve, and contribute to improving education in Oregon and across the U.S.

Collaborative in Design

ESS challenges participants to engage in a conceptual re-imagining of the educational experience for young children, not just in preschool, but also as they move into and through their early elementary school years.

“The approach is really designed to foster a learning partnership between all the different stakeholders that affect and are affected by early years and early grades learning,” says Oh.

CI will bring professional development, coaching, and facilitation resources to work with districts on the issues they decide are most impactful to achieving a seamless and integrated early education experience for students and families.

The goal of ESS is to connect preschool and elementary as one continuous high-quality learning experience for district communities using these six components:

Two pilot districts chosen in May 2019—Beaverton and Forest Grove—will begin the initial phase of Early School Success. In year three of the five-year initiative, two additional Oregon school districts will be added.

Driven by Communities

This fall, a team of educators, administrators, parents, and other community partners in the two pilot districts will start to assess community needs and then develop a plan to address them.

In addition, the districts chosen will engage in cross-district professional learning as well as incorporate family and community engagement with the goal of continuous improvement over time.

Bridging two previously disconnected areas of instructional practice is something even veteran teachers and administrators may not have experience doing. It is especially challenging to explain that strategy to parents who are just entering the preschool and elementary education years. In some cases, families may have little to no experience in the U.S. education system at all.

The staff, parents, and partners of the Early Works sites, with nearly a decade of expertise in doing this work, will play a key advisory and participatory role. ESS aims to broaden its reach across the state and beyond so all children enjoy a smooth transition between preschool and the early grades.

“We have set up a structure that is grounded in values that are fundamental for transformational change,” says Dr. Merrill. “There is a real sense of openness and so many directions that districts can go in from there. We are so excited to begin this work.”

Ajay Chaudry on Combating Inequality Through Early Care and Education

by Rafael Otto | May 17, 2019 | Podcast, Child Care, Federal Policy

Ajay Chaudry was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy in the US Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to that appointment in the Obama administration, Dr. Chaudry was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. He has led public policy research focused on child poverty, child well-being and development, human service programs in the social safety net, and the early childhood care system for young children. Dr. Chaudry is also an author of the book Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality.

In this episode of the Early Link Podcast, we spoke with Dr. Chaudry about America’s early childhood crisis and how Oregon compares when it comes to supporting working families with young children. According to Dr. Chaudry, child care subsidies in Oregon reach only 11 percent of families who are eligible for them under federal guidelines. On top of that, we have some of the highest co-pays in the country, meaning families can’t afford child care even after receiving subsidies.

The Oregon state legislature is currently considering several bills to address our child care crisis. House Bill 2346 would establish a child care task force to develop recommendations on how to improve our child care system, while HB 2348 would reduce child care subsidy co-pays so that recipients pay no more than 7 percent of their household income toward care. (This recommendation is in line with Senator Elizabeth Warren’s plan to create a universal child care system that would provide free care for families living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and cap expenditures at 7 percent of income for all other families.) Both bills are currently being considered by the Joint Committee On Ways and Means.

The Latest from Salem: May 10, 2019

by Rafael Otto | May 10, 2019 | Podcast, Oregon Policy, Policy Trends

Dana Hepper, director of policy and advocacy at Children’s Institute, and James Barta, strategic director at Children First for Oregon, provide a timely policy update on the current legislative session.

Key takeaways:

The Senate vote on HB 3427, which has passed the House and allocates $2 billion to education, continues to be delayed.
Approximately $400 million in this package is dedicated to early childhood.
Oregon Business and Industry is neutral on the bill.
Many Republican senators are pushing for further negotiations.
If the bill secures 18 votes in the Senate it will become law; it’s likely it will then be referred to voters.
Your voice matters! Use the link below to contact your senator.

Visit our policy page for more information about our full policy agenda.

Tell your senator to vote YES on the Student Success Act!

A Trip Down Memory Lane at Orchards Head Start

by Rafael Otto | Apr 18, 2019 | Podcast, Educators and Workforce, Preschool

Bob Harding and Teri Seaton are two people who might not seem like they have much in common. Bob works as a bank executive and, with his wife Shannon, is raising three young kids on a 5-acre hobby farm in Stafford, Oregon just east of Tualatin. They have 30 chickens, 3 goats, a cat, and a dog.

Teri Seaton lives in North Portland with her husband, Greg Stevens. Not a single chicken, goat, dog or cat can be found in her house. But though she has no children of her own, she does spend a lot of time with them. Teri, you see, is a Head Start preschool teacher. And Bob, you might be surprised to learn…was once a Head Start student.

Head Start is a federal program that serves low income children and families. Both Oregon and Washington offer the program, but neither state receives enough funding to serve all children and families who are income eligible, so they supplement the federal program with state dollars.

Child advocates, education, and political leaders have called for increasing access to early learning and early childhood programs. That’s alongside a growing body of research on the long-term benefits of early care and education programs in general. With that backdrop in mind, we wanted to hear directly from those who have benefited from the program and those who work directly with children and families every day.

Take A Peek Inside Orchards Head Start

Two Generations of Impact: A Mother’s View on Head Start

I had been separated from your dad and he was nowhere to be seen for about six months when my in-laws came from Florida to help us move somewhere near enough so that he could visit if he chose to.

Philip was going into third grade, Ana into second, and Maria into Kindergarten. You, just turning four, were going to stay home with me for another year.

Since your dad had not been giving us any money, we qualified for free lunches and I was asked if I wanted to register you for Head Start, a program I had never heard of and which turned out to be the greatest break in our lives.

I can’t describe the joy I felt that you were in this blessed program. That fall, I was able to go door-to-door selling Avon three days a week and volunteered at Head Start two days. They appreciated my help and as I had gone to Catholic School, I could teach the kids how to use a knife and a fork, and also some good manners.

Thanks to Head Start you started on your upward trajectory which has taken you far: successful as a family man, a friend, and a professional.

– Vera Harding, in an email to Bob Harding