Policy Trends
Oregon’s Legislature Invests in Young Children and Families
Oregon lawmakers concluded the 2021 legislative session shortly after 5:30 p.m. on June 26, 2021 — a day ahead of the constitutionally mandated deadline. In the final days of a challenging and unusual five-month virtual legislative process, Oregon’s Early Childhood...
Crawling Behind: America’s Child Care Crisis & How to Fix It with Elliot Haspel
Rafael Otto speaks with Elliot Haspel, an early childhood policy expert and author of the book “Crawling Behind: America’s Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It.”
Heart-Wrenching Discovery at Kamloops Indian Residential School Reminds Us that Current Systems Were Built on Oppression
Photo courtesy of Mack Male: Memorial at Alberta Legislature A statement from Karen Twain, Interim President & CEO Late last week, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in British Columbia, Canada...
No Such Thing as a Bad Preschooler: Dalia Avello on Senate Bill 236 and the Dangers of Misrepresentation in Early Childhood
Dalia Avello, MA, IMH-E, serves on the board of Directors of the Oregon Montessori Association. She trained as a psychologist, is a certified Montessori teacher, has expertise in the education and international development fields, and has the Endorsement®...
Boston Study Findings Support Continued Investment in Public Preschool
It has long been known that a child’s earliest experiences, both positive and negative, have effects that last a lifetime and show up as disparities in physical and mental health, socioeconomic status, and educational attainment. High-quality preschool can provide...
Early Child Advocates, Lawmakers, Gather Virtually for Advocacy Days
In early May, Early Childhood Coalition (ECC) partners and advocates from across Oregon gathered virtually for Early Childhood Advocacy days.
Momentum Builds for Early Childhood in Oregon, Federally: An Interview with Miriam Calderon
Rafael Otto talks with Miriam Calderon, the Early Learning System director at the Early Learning Division in Oregon’s Department of Education. Miriam has been a long time advocate for early childhood and is leaving Oregon for a new position in the Biden-Harris administration.
2020 NIEER Report: Federal/State Partnership Needed to Expand High-Quality, Full-Day Preschool
As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic set back state preschool enrollment and funding across the country, according to the 2020 edition of The State of Preschool Yearbook by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at the Rutgers Graduate School of...
Oregon HB 3073 to Establish Early Learning Authority, Expand Child Care and Early Learning
Oregon House Bill 3073 (HB 3073) will streamline Oregon’s child care system by establishing a new state agency: the Early Learning Authority. The agency will be separate from the Oregon Department of Education. “A new department focused on early learning and care...
Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson Honored with Alexander Award
Children's Institute is pleased to honor Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson with the Alexander Award for her efforts to implement a universal preschool program in Multnomah County. The Preschool for All ballot measure, which passed in November,...
