States Have A Role To Play in Helping Kids Access Inclusive Pre-K
States look to improve collaboration between school districts and community partners. Originally published by New America on 7/18/24.
States look to improve collaboration between school districts and community partners. Originally published by New America on 7/18/24.
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released the State of Preschool 2023 Yearbook. This annual report tracks preschool enrollment, funding, and quality across the United States. This year's report highlights key findings on universal preschool and emerging trends nationwide.
A New Vision for High-Quality Preschool Curriculum report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is an essential and exciting step in addressing gaps in the curricula.
Vose Elementary School in Beaverton, Oregon hosted a learning lab on May 15, showing participants in the district the transformative work the school is doing to improve outcomes for students and the community.
We are excited to share this compilation of resources with families and caregivers, early childhood educators and practitioners, and policymakers who want to support young children in developing the literacy and language skills they need to thrive.
Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion (OECI) partners convened at Oregon State University for an annual celebration of statewide work to bring high‐quality, inclusive preschool policies and practices to all levels of Oregon’s early care and education system.
This longform piece, written by guest contributor Adriane Blackman, details how Yoncalla Early Works has driven an ecosystem of community and care to support the health and wellbeing of children and families in rural, southern Oregon.
We're sitting across the screen with Dani Boylan, director of early learning at St. Helens Early Learning. This is her second year running Kinder Camp after several years of teaching preschool. Students from three schools (McBride, Columbia City, and Lewis and Clark) gather in the kindergarten classes of the latter’s elementary school, filling the hallways with joyful sounds. Though their program faced significant state budget cuts which limited the scope for 2023, teachers and administrators in St. Helens worked together to reorganize for the year. They made a plan that made the most of the resources available, setting up intentionally small class sizes and offering support for children with varying social emotional needs. I eagerly pull my list of questions in front of me, and we begin our virtual interview.
Preschool Promise is providing opportunities for more young children in Oregon to access high-quality early learning and care. In 2015, Children’s Institute collaborated with 34 partner organizations to support Preschool Promise legislation. After its successful passage, the program launched in 2016 across nine regions, as a part of a larger statewide initiative to improve early childhood education, and partners with public and private providers to expand access to preschool and support the diverse needs of Oregon families.
Creating excellent early care and learning opportunities for children begins by supporting the skilled educators and caregivers behind the work. Too often, inadequate working environments and poor compensation cause significant difficulties for those trying to offer the best quality education and care. These conditions have been overlooked in the past despite their direct impact on skill development, teaching effectiveness, and well-being of providers and children. But with sustainable support strategies and in-depth analysis of areas in need of improvement, Oregon can transform the working environments of early educators for the better.