Successful Students
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...
Brain Development Series, Part I
Scientists and parents know that young children’s brain development is critically important—and researchers learn more every day. Children experience their most profound cognitive, social, and emotional growth in the first eight years of life. Children’s Institute...
30 Book Recommendations for Kids and Adults from CI Staff
Here at Children’s Institute, we’re passionate about young kids, and the research and policies that support their health and education. Not surprisingly then, we have holiday book recommendations for both the children and the health and early education advocates on...
The Importance of Early Literacy
This week’s visit by the Children’s Book Bank to the Early Works preschool program at Earl Boyles is a good reminder of how important early reading is to young children. Consider that: Eighty percent of child’s brain develops by age 3. Reading to young children can...
New Report Highlights Challenges Facing Children in Immigrant Families
We know that high-quality early education improves long-term outcomes for kids, and yet only 59 percent of American children from immigrant families aged three to five are enrolled in preschool.These children—the vast majority of whom are themselves US...
At Earl Boyles, Parent-Teacher Conferences Foster Community
In a school community where over thirty different home languages are spoken, the faculty and staff at Earl Boyles Elementary in Southeast Portland work to make sure all members of the community feel welcome. Whereas one primary role of schools has been to...
The Power of Head Start: A Parent’s Perspective
Angela Parsons gives us a parent's perspective about her experience with Albina Head Start in North Portland. She talks about how her son made great strides with his academic and social emotional skills during two years in preschool, her renewed interest in Spanish...
An Eye on Systems: An Interview with Principal Kelly Soter
Kelly Soter is the principal at Jackson Elementary School in Medford, Oregon. She was named 2017 Oregon Elementary Principal of the year by the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators and the Oregon Elementary School Principals Association. In this Q&A,...
The Vroom Parenting App
Learn about Vroom, a free tool designed to stimulate parent-child interactions with brain building activities. Created by the Bezos Family Foundation in partnership with the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University, the app is for parents and educators...
