The Latest
Transforming Schools: Community Health Workers in Action
The following is an excerpt from our new report, "Transforming Schools: Community Health Workers in Action," written by Katia Riddle. Read the full report.Ana Olmos was surprised one day in the winter of 2019 when a Community Health Worker (CHW) approached her in...
Podcast: Hadiyah Miller, Black Child Development PDX
In this week’s episode, host Rafael Otto speaks with Hadiyah Miller, president of the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (ORAEYC) and chairperson of Black Child Development PDX, about combating the expulsion and suspension of Black children in...
Parents Wrestle with School and Care Choices in Pandemic
Melissa Tyler of Ontario, Ore., worries about sending her 5-year-old son into school this fall during a pandemic. But she’s even more concerned about Mason, who has Down’s syndrome, slipping behind. “I think socially he could be losing ground; that is my biggest...
Schools Push for Equity Against Forces of Pandemic
After the pandemic closed Oregon schools this spring, teacher Nicole Odom and her assistants at McKay Elementary in Beaverton depended on parental help to remotely teach their preschoolers. They prepared video lessons, learning activities, songs and Zoom sessions,...
Parents and Teachers Weigh Quality vs. Safety in Pandemic
As Oregon educators prepare to open schools this fall, they are searching for ways to give their youngest students quality education while keeping them safe in a pandemic. That goal poses an enormous challenge if they physically open and an even bigger one if they...
Podcast: Jax Richards, Safeguard Youth
In this week’s episode, host Rafael Otto talks with Jax Richards, the president and founder of Safeguard Youth, about Oregon’s child welfare system. Guest: Jax Richards is an economics and public policy student at Oregon State University. In 2019 he started...
Kindergarten Readiness Programs Support Equity, May Lose Funding
In Oregon, Kindergarten Readiness Partnership and Innovation Grants (KPI) fund a diverse range of programming that supports early school readiness and family engagement, as well as professional development for early childhood and early grades educators. Data shows...
Podcast: BLM Organizer La Mikia Castillo on Systemic Change and Dismantling Racism
In this week’s episode, host Rafael Otto talks with La Mikia Castillo, a Black Lives Matter activist and community organizer, about what it looks like to dismantle systemic racism. Guest La Mikia Castillo is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern...
Arlene Schnitzer: A Generous and Fearless Advocate for Children
Notable Oregon philanthropist Arlene Schnitzer, who passed away on April 4, 2020 at the age of 91, was perhaps best known for her lifetime of support for the arts. Arlene’s commitment to women’s health and children’s issues may be less recognized among the broader...
Child Care Reopen Survey Reflects Concern for Health, Financial Instability
Oregon’s child care providers are feeling strong financial pressure to reopen, but are unsure of their ability to effectively implement health, safety, and other requirements outlined by the state. That’s according to more than 1,600 providers who responded to a...
