Policy Trends
What If We Expanded Child Care Subsidies?
Child care subsidies from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) are designed to help families living at or below 150 perfect of the federal poverty guidelines afford care for their children. Speaking with Dr. Ajay Chaudry in May, we learned that child care...
Our Response to Proposed Changes to How We Calculate Poverty
Dana Hepper is Children's Institute's director of policy and advocacy. Below is her public comment on behalf of CI in response to the Trump Administration's proposed changes to how we calculate the federal poverty threshold. The Children’s Institute is writing in...
We Can’t Address Poverty by Changing the Definition of ‘Poor’
You may have read last month that the Trump administration has a plan to lower the poverty rate in America. The plan doesn't do anything to help low-income families. Instead, the administration is seeking to change the way we calculate the "official poverty...
Massachusetts Takes Note of the Student Success Act
The recently passed Student Success Act includes $400 million in investments in early childhood programs and services. This is big news, and not just for Oregon. Strategies for Children, a Massachusetts organization devoted to increasing funding for children from...
Ajay Chaudry on Combating Inequality Through Early Care and Education
Ajay Chaudry was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy in the US Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to that appointment in the Obama administration, Dr. Chaudry was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Labor, Human Services,...
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...
