The Latest
In Early Works, Data Empowers Parents to be Key Decision Makers
For our 23rd segment, we interviewed Dr. Marina Merrill from Children’s Institute (CI) and Dr. Beth Green from Portland State University (PSU). Dr. Merrill is the senior research and policy advisor for CI and leads the organization’s research on prenatal through...
Home Visiting Programs Support Young Children and Families
In this segment, I visited Ha Mi Da and her family at her apartment in Southeast Portland. Ha Mi Da came to the United States from a Burmese refugee camp several years ago and I wanted to learn more about her story, her involvement with home visiting services...
In Yoncalla, Oregon, Community Comes Together to Build a New Preschool Playground
According to Eric Gustafson, “schools are the heart of rural communities,” providing a place for all members of the town to come together. Eric should know. He lives in Yoncalla, a town of just over a thousand people in Douglas County and serves on the school...
Jackson Elementary promotes reading with “Let’s Read” campaign
Principal Kelly Soter of Jackson Elementary in Medford, Oregon continually looks for ways to promote reading for her community’s youngest learners. This year, she pulled together a team of volunteers to participate in the annual Pear Blossom Parade held on April 14...
The Role of Community Engagement in Advancing Health Equity
National Public Health Week, from April 2 through April 8, provided a good reminder of the health equity challenges facing Oregon’s immigrant communities. According to Elena Rivera, Children’s Institute’s senior health policy and program advisor, “Thousands of...
Webinar: Creating Caring and Culturally Responsive PreK–3 Classrooms
“To change the outcomes, we have to change the experiences.” – Dr. Sharon Ritchie Join us for a free webinar exploring strategies to create culturally responsive and emotionally supportive preK–grade 3 classrooms for children from diverse racial and...
The Impact of Early Childhood Education with Don Grotting
Don Grotting is the superintendent of the Beaverton School District. For more than 20 years, he has led school districts in rural and urban communities across Oregon. Grotting has received several awards and accolades for his work and leadership, including 2014...
Earl Boyles Elementary Engages Parents From Linguistically Diverse Communities
Over the past few weeks, we have examined on our blog and podcast the challenges and opportunities of educating dual language and English language learners and highlighted the dual language Preschool Promise classes offered at Echo Shaw Elementary...
Promising Futures: A Panel Discussion with Dr. Ruby Takanishi, Maria Adams, and Dr. Perla Rodriguez
In our 20th podcast, we sat down with Ruby Takanishi, co-editor of the NASEM report Promising Futures: Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English; Maria Adams, language development specialist for the David...
Oregon’s Fastest Growing Population of Young Students: Dual Language and English Language Learners
According to the Migration Policy Institute, 28 percent of children under the age of 5 in Oregon are dual language learners (DLLs). Since 2000, Oregon’s young DLL population has increased by 32 percent, compared with 24 percent nationally. A recent report by the...