Policy Trends
Oregon’s Relief Nurseries Support Families and Keep Kids Out of Foster Care
Oregon's nationally recognized Relief Nursery model serves families with children ages 0–5 who are most at-risk for abuse and neglect. In 2019, Children’s Institute is joining a coalition of early childhood advocates to request an additional $5.6 million in funding...
Redmond Early Learning Center Shines as an Early Learning Innovator
Early learning leaders in Central Oregon met on January 8 at the Redmond Early Learning Center (RELC) to discuss how best to meet the needs of kids and families throughout the region. The meeting included a tour of the RELC, which opened three years ago...
Help Stop Proposed Changes to the Public Charge Rule
This collection of resources explains the Trump Administration's proposed expansion of the public charge determination and the impact it would have on immigrant families and communities. We have included a link to submit your public comment in opposition to this...
An Interview with Oregon Representative John Lively
As we prepare for the 2019 legislative session, we spoke with Oregon Representative John Lively, a democrat representing Springfield, District 12. He has lived in Springfield for more than 50 years but was born in LaGrande and grew up in Wallowa. He has served on...
Oregon’s First Gubernatorial Debate Featured Questions From Students
More than a dozen young Oregonians from across the state were offered the exclusive opportunity to question gubernatorial candidates at the Debate for Oregon’s Future, sponsored partly by Children’s Institute and held at Roosevelt High School Tuesday night. The...
Getting Ready for 2019: Our Recommendations for Investments in Early Childhood
On August 13, Children’s Institute (CI) brought together parents, advocates, and CI board members to meet with Governor Kate Brown. We shared our 2019 legislative recommendations with her and talked about the importance of investing in early childhood development....
The Role of Community Engagement in Advancing Health Equity
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...
Advocacy in Action: Tips for Writing an Effective Letter to the Editor
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...
Early Childhood Advocacy Day 2018
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...
A Vision for Early Learning in Oregon with Miriam Calderon
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...
