National Public Health Week, from April 2 through April 8, provided a good reminder of the health equity challenges facing Oregon’s immigrant communities. According to Elena Rivera, Children’s Institute’s senior health policy and program advisor, “Thousands of...
We know that getting all kids off to a successful start in life requires a greater investment from the state; in a year when our lawmakers opted not to restore cuts made in 2017 to early childhood systems and programs, they need to hear from constituents that these...
Kelli Stevens speaks with House Speaker Kotek about Preschool Promise. Kelli Stevens, a mother with three children ages 5, 3, and 1, made the two-hour trip from her home in Yoncalla to the state capitol in Salem on Monday to join a coalition of early childhood...
Miriam Calderon is the early learning system director of the Early Learning Division in the Oregon Department of Education. Before returning to Oregon in 2017 to lead the division, she helped build a birth-to-three system and universal preschool for the District of...
Thanks to all who participated in our Twitter chat on #PreKPay! There were several key take-aways from the chat that we need to continue to discuss: We need to raise awareness that early childhood is a critical time in a child's life for brain...
How do we recognize preschool teachers and childcare providers for the important work they do without further raising the cost of high-quality childcare and preschool? We want to hear what you think! Join us and the Oregon Head Start Association for a Twitter chat...
Many people associate school expulsion with deliberate disobedience or some form of violence by older kids in the K–12 system. But expulsion affects our youngest learners, too—preschool students as young as age 3 or 4—impacting thousands of children across the...
We invite you to spend an hour listening to our interview with Ron Herndon, a long-time community leader and activist in Portland and nationally. He has been the director of the Portland-based Albina Head Start since 1975, and his background includes more than four...
The housing crisis is impacting communities across the state of Oregon. Multnomah County reported last week that 80 people impacted by homelessness died on the streets of Portland in 2016. Meanwhile rural Oregon is experiencing its worst housing crisis in a...
The Status of Oregon Children & Families: 2017 County Data Book recently released by Children First for Oregon compiles data on how kids across the state are faring in health, education, and economic security. Here we highlight some key findings underscoring...
