Policy Trends
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...
Housing Crisis Affects Earl Boyles Community
Preschool teacher Andreina Velasco knows at least several of her students at Earl Boyles Elementary are from homeless families who have moved in with friends or relatives while they struggle to find a home. Sometimes she sees the stress of unstable housing...
Oregon’s Voluntary Home Visiting Services
Children’s Institute releases its latest policy brief about the importance of voluntary home visiting services. Currently, over 18,000 kids and their families receive voluntary home visiting services in Oregon. This brief summarizes the benefits of home...
Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education in Oregon
Children’s Institute releases its latest policy fact sheet about the importance of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) in Oregon. Nearly 22,000 young children in Oregon receive EI/ECSE services. CI's new fact sheet...
Take Your Legislator to Preschool Days
Children’s Institute invited state legislators to visit preschools in their districts to see the benefits of early learning first-hand. Legislators visited a wide variety of preschool classrooms where three and four year-olds were learning the pre-academic and...
Unpacking 13 Percent ROI on Early Investments
Investments in early childhood that focus on children age 0-5 can yield a 13 percent return. Talking with Marina Merrill, Children's Institute's senior research and policy advisor, we examine the results of a recent paper from James Heckman called The Life-Cycle...