Policy Trends
2019 Legislative Recap
Dana Hepper from Children's Institute and James Barta from Children First for Oregon provide a legislative recap to close out the 2019 session. In this segment, they discuss the final days that resulted in passage of nearly 150 bills, including all remaining bills...
Oregon’s Legislature Makes Young Kids a Priority
Oregon’s legislature adjourned on June 30 at 5:30 p.m., just six and a half hours before the constitutionally mandated close of the 2019 session. As we previously reported, the Student Success Act passed in May included historic investments in early childhood...
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...
