Policy Trends
What Does Passage of the Student Success Act Mean for Early Childhood?
Education supporters across the state celebrated passage of the Student Success Act (HB 3427) on Monday. This historic investment of $2 billion promises to reinvigorate Oregon’s education system by funding a range of programs to boost student achievement and...
The Latest from Salem: May 10, 2019
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...
Rural Parents Scramble to Get More Special Education for Young Kids
Miles Wolpoff, 5, with his family, photo courtesy of Darcy Jeffs. Photo by Dan Haberly.One Oregon couple in a rural town south of Eugene sends their 3-year-old autistic son on a two-hour round trip bus ride so he can attend a special state-sponsored preschool. A...
Across Oregon, Voices Raised in Support of Funding for Education
Protesters wearing "Red for Ed" gather along Portland's waterfront in support of funding for education. Teachers across Oregon today are walking out of their classrooms to protest decades of severe underfunding of our schools. While many states have seen teacher...
Hundreds Gather at OMSI to View a Groundbreaking Early Childhood Documentary
On April 22 and April 29, Children’s Institute and the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (ORAEYC) teamed up to host the Oregon premier of the groundbreaking early childhood documentary No Small Matter. Hundreds of parents, child...
Policy Update with Dana Hepper and James Barta
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...
The True Cost of Early Childhood Programs with John Tapogna
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...
Prepare for the Early Childhood Lobby Day
Thank you for joining the Early Childhood Coalition Lobby Day! It's important for lawmakers to hear from you, their constituents, about the impact of early childhood programs and services. The resources on this page will give you more information about the...
What State Leaders Can Do to Help More Students Start Their Education on the Right Track
By Allan Golston Reprinted from Medium with permission from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Allan Golston visits with students at the Earl Boyles preschool. Principal Ericka Guynes could see the problem clearly. Students at Earl Boyles — a Portland,...
The Foster Care Fix: Invest in the Services Proven to Keep Kids in Their Homes
Guest Column by Leslie Brown, Program Director, Children's Relief Nursery at LifeWorks NW Oregon’s Child Welfare System needs help. Our system for reporting abuse and neglect can be confusing, we do not have enough foster families or child welfare workers, and...
