Building an Infrastructure for Early Learning & Care with Alyssa Chatterjee

by Rafael Otto | Jun 13, 2022 | Podcast, Oregon Policy

Guest

In this episode, we hear from Alyssa Chatterjee, director of the Early Learning Division at the Oregon Department of Education, who will oversee the transition as the division becomes the Department of Early Learning and Care. Alyssa was among the first employees at the Early Learning Division, when it was formally created. She has served under Governor Kate Brown as deputy education policy advisor and has focused on early learning policy for the state since 2012.

Summary

In this segment, we learn more about Chatterjee’s background, her career path and its importance to her. We also dig into the Department of Early Learning and Care and how its creation will affect children and families in Oregon. Chatterjee also talks about how her work on the Children’s Cabinet and Racial Justice Council will show up in her new role, and what racial justice and equity means in the early childhood sector. She also gets into some of the challenges she’s faced in this job, lessons learned along the way, and what she thinks the early learning system will look like down the road.

Children's Institute · Building an Infrastructure for Early Learning & Care with Alyssa Chatterjee

Transcript

[00:00:00] Rafael Otto: Hi everyone. This is the Early Link Podcast. I’m Rafael Otto. Thanks for listening as always, you can catch us on 99.1 FM in the Portland metro every single week on Sundays at 4:30 PM or tune in at your convenience, wherever you find your podcasts, including iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

There’ve been lots of great developments in Oregon in the early childhood sector recently and today I’m talking with Alyssa Chattergee. She is the fifth Early Learning System Director and will oversee the transition as the division becomes. The Department of Early Learning and Care.

Alyssa was among the first employees at the Early Learning Division, when it was formally created and she has served under Governor Kate Brown as deputy education policy advisor and she has focused on early learning policy for the state since 2012.

Alyssa, welcome to the podcast.

[00:00:55] Alyssa Chatterjee: Thank you for having me.

[00:00:56] Rafael Otto: Yeah, it’s great to have you here. Give me a little bit of background about the how and why you came into… into this work. What led you here?

[00:01:04] Alyssa Chatterjee: Yeah. So I went to Willamette University as a politics major assuming that I would be an elementary school teacher. Did some work in the classroom, I had a lot of experience working in preschools and schools with children experiencing disabilities. And as I did some work in Salem, was getting a little disillusioned by just the stress that teachers were under. The pressure for testing, seeing, watching them make those choices to have to kind of leave kids behind. And what really sealed it for me, there was student I was helping and he had pretty severe ADHD and we sat down and he wrote a paragraph and that was a big deal.

And I was like, “Go show your teacher,” and he ran up and he was so excited.

And the first thing she said was, “You’re not allowed to write in pen.” And I was just like, I don’t think I can do this job.

And luckily, being a politics major, I happened to also be in an education policy class and realized there was another way to be a part of the education system without being in the classroom. And so I was very fortunate that I had a friend from college who was working in Governor Kitzhaber’s office at the time and said, ” There’s this new office called the Early Learning Council and they need an assistant to the director.” And so I started as a temp to the first director, Jada Rupley, back in September of 2012. And I stuck around,

So was very lucky that, I started three weeks after Jada. We were in all these meetings together trying to convince people, legislators, partners, that what happens before kindergarten matters. So I really got to come in on the ground floor, as you were creating the Early Learning Hubs, as we were becoming the Early Learning Division, and grow with the agency.

And I’ve benefited tremendously from that. And from just having different leaders help me grow and continue to lift me up, and give me those opportunities to learn, and then left to the governor’s office in 2019, and then came back to their learning division in ’21. So it’s been a journey.

[00:03:06] Rafael Otto: You know, there are a lot of people, I think that ended up working on the policy side of things who have had experience like you have had. You were in the classroom, you worked with young children. Are there any other stories about working with young kids that come to mind that help keep you motivated to do this work?

Please download the full transcript below.

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An Update on Preschool for All Multnomah County with Leslee Barnes

by Rafael Otto | Jun 13, 2022 | Preschool, Podcast

Guest

On this segment of The Early Link, we’re following up with Leslee Barnes, director of the Preschool and Early Learning Division at Multnomah County, who gives us an update on the implementation of Preschool for All (PFA) in Multnomah County. Barnes is a fourth-generation Oregonian who grew up in Northeast Portland, and a leading figure working alongside commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, in the development of Preschool for All which was approved by voters in November 2020.

Summary

In our conversation with Leslee Barnes, she talks about the demands, challenges, successes, and surprises in the implementation of Preschool for All. She also discusses how culturally and linguistically diverse providers are supported in their participation, and ultimately whether PFA will help everyone involved. This includes the growing educational workforce, which would ideally reflect the diversity of families. The conversation then shifts to a discussion around facilities. Specifically, knowing that the lack of them was a roadblock in getting PFA off the ground and how they will be supported this time around. Barnes also covers the PFA rollout and how the upcoming ban on suspension and expulsion could potentially interrelate, plus how lessons learned at these early stages could inform statewide work and potential expansions to other counties.

Children's Institute · An Update on Preschool for All Multnomah County with Leslee Barnes

Transcript

[00:00:00] Rafael Otto: Hi everyone. This is the Early Link Podcast. I’m Rafael Otto. Thanks for tuning in each week. I hope you do on Sundays at 4:30 PM. We are broadcasting on 99.1 FM in the Portland Metro, you can find us streaming there as well. Or you can tune in at your convenience wherever you find your podcasts, including iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and as always on our website at childinst.org.

Today, I’m speaking with Leslee Barnes, director of the Preschool and Early Learning Division at Multnomah County. She is a fourth generation Oregonian who grew up in Northeast Portland and she has been a leading figure, working alongside others in the community, including Commissioner Jessica Vega Peterson in the development of Preschool for All which was approved by voters in November of 2020. Things have come a long way since then. And we’re looking to get an update and just talk about what Preschool for All looks like today.

Leslee, welcome to the podcast.

[00:00:58] Leslee Barnes: Thanks for having me. Good to be back and give you kind of what’s hot and happening right now in the world of Preschool for All.

[00:01:05] Rafael Otto: Yeah, it’s great to have you back on here. You know, this has been really like, a groundbreaking measure that was passed, with a tax to go along with it, to fund Preschool for All and the expansion of facilities and those kinds of things. Really not just in Oregon, but nationally, this is really kind of the first of its kind in the country structured in this way

So just give us an update as to where things are right now, as we’re beginning to roll out. I know there was the initial application process that rolled out recently. Where’re things at?

[00:01:38] Leslee Barnes: Well, yeah, so that application became live to the public back in April, and we got an astounding 1100 applications from families. We have about 675 slots so we’re in the midst of looking at those applications, sorting, matching. I mean, there’s a lot to think about when you’re thinking about what families want, what’s available right now in this leg of our implementation.

So that’s where we’re kind of at right now. I’m really hoping that, our initial thoughts that parents would get notification of their choice and ability to be matched in July. But we’re thinking that might come actually a little bit sooner. So, that’s where we’re at right now. So it’s pretty…

[00:02:17] Rafael Otto: So demand has been high.

[00:02:19] Leslee Barnes: Very high, very high, yes. But you know, not surprising, right? This has been something the community said they wanted it, needed it for a long time. So it’s aligned to what we had hoped would happen.

Please download the full transcript below.

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A Conversation with Children’s Institute’s CEO, Kali Thorne Ladd

by Rafael Otto | May 26, 2022 | Podcast, Health and Development, Parents and Families

Guest

In this episode of the Early Link Podcast, we talk to Kali Thorne Ladd, Chief Executive Officer here at Children’s Institute. She has an extensive track record of working in early childhood and was co-founder and former executive director of Kairos PDX. As a leader in multiple positions, Thorne Ladd works 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 Governor Brown’s Early Learning Council, and serving on the board at the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation based in Portland.

Read her full bio.

Summary

In this episode, Thorne Ladd starts with a poem by Clint Smith, from his book Counting Descent, and talks about its significance as it relates to her work in education and social justice. She believes that, “all of us would be better if we paid attention to [children] and learned from them.” She also touches on how and why she has devoted her career to the well-being of children, and discusses some of the big changes happening at Children’s Institute, which includes a new mission and vision statement with an emphasis on justice for children. As the new mission, vision, and values take hold, Thorne Ladd gives listeners an idea of what it means to live into these ideas and how there are complex moving parts within the early childhood system that will always need to be addressed.

Children's Institute · A Conversation with Children's Institute CEO, Kali Thorne Ladd

Transcript

[00:00:00] Kali Thorne Ladd: It is early December in Cambridge and the Charles River has crystallized into a glimmering pane of fresh glass. Not yet strong enough to stand on, but beautiful enough to watch from the bridge above. The bridge’s subtle arc encrusted in an overlay of white, a small child dawdling across with adult in hand, little joints fixed in place by the four layers of clothes on her body, a swaddle of stiff limbs. When she first sees the snow, she becomes overwhelmed with joy, slips away to chase the bits of sky, tottering a few feet before tumbling under the weight of her own elation. She rolls her small body, becoming an avalanche unto itself. Squeals of laughter growing with each rotation. I watch the woman, her mother, perhaps, dart anxiously after the rolling bundle, checking for cuts, scratches, bruises, signs of distress, but the child is still laughing. Undeterred by blood, gets back on her feet, waiting for the next slice of sky worth chasing. That’s by Clint Smith from his book, Counting Descent.

[00:01:10] Rafael Otto: This is the Early Link Podcast. Thanks for tuning in. My name is Rafael Otto. You can catch us every Sunday on 99.1 FM in the Portland Metro at 4:30 PM. Tune in there when you can, or you can find us wherever you find your podcasts, including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, streaming on our website at childinst.org. That was my colleague, Kali Thorne Ladd:. She is the Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Institute. That was a poem that she chose to read today. And I want to ask you about that, but welcome to the podcast. It’s so good to have you on.

[00:01:48] Kali Thorne Ladd: Thank you for having me.

[00:01:49] Rafael Otto: Kali you’ve been, uh, you are the CEO here at Children’s Institute. You have a long track record of working in early childhood, you were a co-founder and executive director at Kairos PDX. I’m not going to read the rest of your bio, but people can learn more about you if they like. Welcome. It’s great to have you here. Tell me a little bit about that poem and why you chose to read that one today.

[00:02:13] Kali Thorne Ladd: Well, I think all of the work I do is because I believe in children. I believe in their brilliance, their beauty, their assertive, innate, belief in possibility that I think all of us can benefit from as adults. And I think this poem captures that well. Clint Smith is an educator, he is a black educator who is also a believer in education as a civil right, and part of the social justice movement.

And so him as author, I thought was important, but you know, I read through his book of poems. This is his first book of poems. He’s written other things since, but I just found this one so beautifully encapsulated children in their natural element and their natural beauty. And this child could be any child. If we give children the chance to be themselves. We see beautiful things.

[00:03:07] Rafael Otto: Tie that into some of the work that you’ve done in the past or how you’re thinking about the work here at CI.

Please download the full transcript below.

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Social-Emotional Health is Key in Student Success

by Rafael Otto | Apr 13, 2022 | Podcast, Successful Students, Early School Success

In the latest Early Link Podcast, host Rafael Otto speaks with Rosalie Sumsion.
Sumsion is a reading specialist at McBride Elementary in the St. Helens school district, working with small groups of readers throughout the day. She is also part of the Early School Success Team, a group of teachers working in collaboration the the Children’s Institute to address challenges within their school and district. Sumsion focuses on students’ social-emotional learning and works on finding ways to ensure every student is successful and feels great about coming to school.

Guest

Rosalie Sumsion works half-time as a Title 1 Reading teacher and half-time as a RTI (Response to Intervention) Coach. As a Title 1 teacher, Sumsion works with small groups of students to advance their reading skills. As McBride’s RTI coach, she works alongside teachers to model good instruction, provides training on the delivery of interventions, and leads staff in the growth of effective instructional practices. She is instrumental in the organization of McBride’s school-wide assessment by training assessors, preparing materials, providing data to teachers and assisting with data analysis. In addition to her teaching duties, Sumsion gives presentations at staff meetings, facilitates MD-PLT (Principles of Learning and Teaching) meetings, and guides discussions on academic interventions and growth factors.

Summary

Rosalie Sumsion kicks off the podcast with a story about how she got into teaching and discusses the McBride school community. She also shares inspiration about the children she works with and talks about her work as a reading specialist, and her involvement working with Children’s Institute’s Early School Success initiative. Rafael asks why she became a teacher, the state of the McBride school community, and an inspirational story about the kids she has worked with. She also discusses the important of social-emotional learning in the classroom.

Children's Institute · Infant Mental Health & Children's Rights with Sherri Alderman

Transcript

[00:00:00] Rafael Otto: This is the Early Link Podcast. I’m Rafael Otto. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Rosalie Sumsion,a teacher at McBride Elementary in the St. Helens school district. She is a reading specialist working with small groups of readers throughout her day, and she is also part of the early school success team. This is a team of teachers working in collaboration with staff at Children’s Institute to wrestle with big problems or big challenges within their school and within their districts. Some of those are focused on social-emotional learning and working on ways to make sure that every student feels great when they come to school, and is successful. Rosalie, welcome to the podcast.

[00:00:41] Rosalie Sumsion: Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure to be here.

[00:00:43] Rafael Otto: Yeah. It’s great to have you here. I love talking with teachers and I wonder if you could just start by telling me the story of why you became a teacher.

[00:00:51] Rosalie Sumsion: Okay. So honestly, I didn’t. That was not my plan. I did not want to become a teacher.

[00:00:56] Rafael Otto: That… that happens, sometimes…

[00:00:59] Rosalie Sumsion: So, my mother was a teacher and she taught second grade. She was a lovely, amazing teacher. She’d come home every day around 4:30 or 5, and she would just lie on the couch. She’d watch M*A*S*H-

[00:01:13] Rafael Otto: She was like, I’m done. I’m done, I need a break.

[00:01:15] Rosalie Sumsion: She’s done. But then she’d kind of get her second wind and, you know, do her
thing and… she loved her job. She just was always doing fun things with her kids. So, she was totally into it. But I was a musician, and I played the piano and I wanted to become a piano teacher. And I actually did two or three years in piano pedagogy.

But then I just had a big change of focus or whatever. I realized that my heart was in school. I love school. I love what it stands for, and I still have a few piano students on the side. I love that too. But I just love the idea of, school is community and it’s an amazing place for kids to grow and learn and I’m really happy to be a part of that.

Please download the full transcript below.

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Infant Mental Health & Children’s Rights with Dr. Sherri Alderman

by Rafael Otto | Mar 10, 2022 | Oregon Policy, Brain Development, Federal Policy, Podcast

On the latest Early Link Podcast, host Rafael Otto speaks with Dr. Sherri Alderman, a developmental behavioral pediatrician. Dr. Alderman is faculty at Portland State University with decades of experience advocating for child rights, working clinically and on policy in infant mental health.

Guest:

Dr. Alderman attended the University of Wisconsin medical school, and completed her pediatric residency and Master of Public Health at the University of New Mexico. She is Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Early Childhood, the AAP Early Childhood Champion in Oregon, CDC Act Early Ambassador to Oregon. She also serves on the Oregon state government advisory council to the Oregon Health Authority Behavioral Health Division and is the former President of the Oregon Infant Mental Health Association.

Summary:

In this episode, we hear Dr. Alderman’s perspective on her work in the field of infant mental health, and its implications for young children and their families, and she discusses what the system can do to create supportive policies. She also discusses her advocacy work for children’s rights. In particular, the background, framework, and core principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Since the CRC has not been ratified in the United States, Dr. Alderman notes the sources where some of the push-back on this policy may originate, and how the CRC has ultimately helped children in other countries (and could help in Oregon) after ratification. Dr. Alderman also tells story about how she helped young children get involved in an election while living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Children's Institute · Infant Mental Health & Children's Rights with Sherri Alderman

Transcript

[00:00:00] Rafael Otto: This is the Early Link Podcast. I’m Rafael Otto. Thank you for listening. You can catch us on 99.1 FM in the Portland Metro on Sundays at 4:30 PM or tune in at your convenience wherever you find your podcasts. That includes iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and on our website at childinst.org.

My guest today is Sherri Alderman. She is a developmental behavioral pediatrician, and is faculty at Portland State University with decades of experience advocating for child rights and deep experience working clinically and on policy in infant mental health. She is Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Early Childhood, the AAP Early Childhood Champion in Oregon, the CDC Act Early Ambassador to Oregon. Sherri serves on the Oregon State government advisory council to the Oregon Health Authority Behavioral Health Division, and is Past President of the Oregon Infant Mental Health Association.

That’s a lot. You must be very busy Sherri, and it’s great to have you on the podcast today.

How are you?

[00:01:06] Sherri Alderman: I’m fine thanks. Thank you so much for having me. I should say that I’m not speaking, as a representative of the AAP. I am actually speaking as, as an individual. So I do have a private life as well.

[00:01:21] Rafael Otto: Absolutely. Great. Thank you for that clarification. I wanted to talk about the field of infant mental health a little bit you know, from your perspective as a physician, as a pediatrician, what does that field look like? What does it entail and what does that mean for your work with young children and their families?

[00:01:41] Sherri Alderman: Well, that’s a great question and my work has very much focused on infant mental health, both in the clinical practice of framework and also in advocacy. It really stems from two basic things I would say. One is that we all are really beginning to so appreciate the research that informs us how critically important those first few years are for healthy brain development.

It’s a fabulous opportunity to set into motion an infant, a baby, or a young child on a path toward being academically successful, being a contributor to society and living a life of fulfillment. Yet at the same time, our system often forgets the babies. And so in infant mental health, we talk about keeping the baby in mind.