Policy Trends
Twitter Chat: Pay and Credentials for Early Educators
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...
Pay For Early Childhood Educators and Childcare Providers
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...
What We Talk About When We Talk About Preschool Expulsion
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...
An Interview with Ron Herndon
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...
A Look at the News on Housing in Oregon
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...
Early Education in Oregon by the Numbers
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...
From Yoncalla to Salem: Parent Voices Drive Advocacy
Governor Brown meets with parents from Yoncalla Early Works. “After that, I couldn’t wait to do more.” --- During the 2017 session of the Oregon legislature, Sara Ruiz-Weight traveled to Salem three times to testify about the value of preschool and early...
Ralph Smith from the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
Ralph Smith is managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (GLR), an initiative to mobilize communities to third-grade reading proficiency for children from low-income families. The GLR network now includes more than 300 Campaign communities in 42...
Make It Your Business Luncheon Keynote from Prof. Sean Reardon
Professor Sean Reardon, a Stanford researcher, was the keynote speaker for our annual Make It Your Business Luncheon. Reardon received his doctorate from Harvard and has spent his career researching how to ensure every child is able to obtain the best education. In...
Swati Adarkar and Sue Hildick on Oregon’s SB182
Senate Bill 182 would help early educators across the state access professional learning to increase the quality of early education. The bill would also allow K-12 schools to coordinate more with local preschools to ensure high-quality and seamless education in the...
