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

Policy Update with Dana Hepper and James Barta

by Rafael Otto | Apr 16, 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. They discuss draft legislation that includes a $400 million investment in early childhood, the recent work of the Early Childhood Coalition, the power of voter voice, and more.

Visit our policy page for more information about our full policy agenda for 2019 and sign up to get involved in our advocacy efforts.

Take your voice to Salem! The next public hearing in the Joint Committee on Student Success is Thursday, April 18, 2019, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

The True Cost of Early Childhood Programs with John Tapogna

by Rafael Otto | Mar 29, 2019 | Podcast, Oregon Policy, Policy Trends

John Tapogna, president of the Portland-based economic consulting firm, ECONorthwest, recently completed a cost analysis of early childhood programs in Oregon. His work reviewed enrollment numbers, program eligibility, and cost per child spending for a suite of early childhood programs for children birth to age 5. These include publicly funded preschool, child care subsidy programs, home visiting, parent support groups, and special education services, among others. The recommended spending increases for early childhood totals about $1 billion per year. Tapogna recommends increased per child spending for almost every program as well as expanding these programs to provide rich early learning opportunities for children who are eligible. Tapogna views early childhood investments for low-income families as an imperative for the state. He also describes how funding a range of programs and services is really in service of creating a functioning early childhood system in Oregon.

Note: This analysis represents estimated costs of expanding access to existing eligible populations and improving quality. It is based on baseline enrollments and costs circa 2017 and draws on a wide range of state and national data sources. The initial analysis was completed in the fall of 2018 with some updates made in March 2019.

Download a copy of the slides