Task Force Recommends Improving Preschool Access

by Melissa Duclos | Jul 24, 2019 | What We're Reading, Preschool

Multnomah County’s Preschool For All Task Force has issued a report calling for better access to affordable, high-quality preschool. In their work, the task force sought to address the following issues:

Limited access to preschool, particularly for families of color, families who speak English as a second language, those experiencing poverty, and those who don’t qualify for public supports but still can’t afford preschool
Shortage of early childhood educators and a poorly paid and undervalued existing workforce
Shortage of preschool classrooms and facilities
Lack of a connected system to support and ensure quality

Children’s Institute Director of Policy & Advocacy Dana Hepper applauded the leadership of County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson for convening the task force and the Multnomah County Commission for providing funding and staff to research the issue. Hepper served on the task force along with CI President & CEO Swati Adarkar, Director of Research & Strategy Dr. Marina Merrill, and Senior Early Education Advisor Soobin Oh.

Oregon is the fourth least affordable state in the country for preschool, according to the report, and public funding reaches very few families who need it. The task force recommends changing income criteria to determine eligibility for access to free preschool, moving from the federal poverty level to the “self-sufficiency standard” that takes into account the costs of housing, child care, and other elements. “This recommendation shows that the task force included people who really understand some of the challenges with existing programs that use the federal poverty level as the primary marker of eligibility,” says Oh.

Other recommendations in the report include developing a mixed-delivery model for preschool that includes culturally specific early learning programs, increasing preschool teacher salaries, strengthening the professional development systems, establishing public funding sources to build new preschool facilities and improve existing facilities, and developing incentives to support preschool infrastructure.

“We now have a clear plan for what Multnomah County needs to do to provide access to preschool for all children in our region and prioritize children of color, those in low-income families, those with diagnosed disabilities or delays, and those who speak a home language other than English,” Hepper explains. “We’re eager for the next phase.”

Read the Full Report

Southern Oregon University Responds to Momentum in the Field of Early Childhood Education

by Soobin Oh | Jun 21, 2019 | Educators and Workforce, Professional Learning, What We're Reading

Soobin Oh is the senior early education advisor at Children’s Institute and adjunct faculty in the Master of Early Education Program at Portland State University. Here he shares his perspective on the importance of the new Master of Science in Education with a Concentration in Leadership in Early Childhood Education program offered by Southern Oregon University.

SOU responds to the increasing recognition that early childhood education is an important field by offering an online Master’s program that supports new early learning leaders. The recent passage of the Student Success Act, with its investments in early childhood programs, will create new jobs for both educators and leaders. SOU’s courses seem designed with these leaders in mind. They foreground equity and ethics, and encourage leaders to be thoughtful and intellectual in their approach to curriculum and instruction.

Scanning across the landscape of higher education and preservice preparation for early learning leaders, there are limited options. Public education administrators have formal structures, certifications, and pathways, and there are stark disparities in the number of available programs and projected salaries for early childhood leaders compared to public school administrators. We have much work to do to create better bridges between early learning and elementary education, and supporting new leaders is of the utmost importance.

The launch of this program also demonstrates that early childhood education is maturing as a field. Historically, early childhood educators have been disrespected or treated as babysitters. This program represents a step in the ongoing process to “professionalize the field.” This is something the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is also working toward through its Power to the Profession initiative.

We need a new generation of early childhood leaders. I’m glad to see Southern Oregon University forging a path by which these leaders can emerge here in Oregon in an online format that can support working professionals who are already in the field.

Early School Success: Bridging the Early Years, Early Grades

by Rafael Otto | Jun 10, 2019 | Preschool, Successful Students, Early School Success

As Swati Adarkar, Children’s Institute’s (CI) president and CEO, reflected on her organization’s experience with Early Works—an initiative launched in 2010 that set out to improve the learning experiences for children before they enter kindergarten—she found that the work had fundamentally transformed CI.

“Early Works helped CI shift from a more traditional advocacy organization into one committed to better understanding the policies and strategies for which it was advocating,” Adarkar said. “That included building partnerships with schools, families, and communities to go deep in the work, to help us get clear on what works and what the field needs.”

Early Works helped CI discover the growing interest among elementary educators in strengthening the connection to early learning strategies like preschool and improving how they engaged with parents. This led to the development of Early School Success (ESS)—the next iteration of CI’s work to transform educational practice in the early years.

In 2010, CI introduced Early Works, a learning laboratory for innovative practices in early education. The first site, at Earl Boyles Elementary School in Southeast Portland, was created in partnership with Mt. Hood Community College Head Start, the Multnomah Early Childhood Program, and the David Douglas School District. In 2012, the Ford Family Foundation and CI partnered with the Yoncalla School District to launch a site in Douglas County. Early Works has helped to inspire new public and private funding, as well as drive policy changes in the care and education of young children in Oregon.

An Evolving Approach

“What we kept seeing and hearing from families was that once you’ve experienced a high-quality early learning environment, once you’ve been a part of a highly-engaged parent and school community, it’s really difficult to accept anything less,” says Dr. Marina Merrill, CI’s director of research and evaluation.

CI wanted to ensure that the social-emotional, academic, and other gains that students and families achieved in high-quality early learning environments from birth to 5 were preserved and built upon as they moved into the elementary school years.

“Right now, we have these different worlds—preschool and K–5—that typically don’t align or integrate. But the science of learning tells us children need seamless learning experiences from birth into the elementary years,” said Adarkar.

The number of school districts and communities working to strengthen early learning has been growing. This includes more parents and educators working together to address learning as children move into kindergarten and through school.

“It’s complex work,” Adarkar said. “It takes time, but it’s also helped us discover what’s needed for schools, districts, kids, and families.”

Among the needs: a common language to help define the need and importance of early learning, more professional learning, a focus on instruction, and concentrated efforts to connect the early years to the early grades.

Grounded in Research

True to its research-based origins, CI spent time drinking deeply from the well of existing knowledge about how best to support early learning across preschool and the early grades. In 2016, CI conducted an analysis of Oregon’s existing preschool landscape. In 2018, staff crisscrossed the country visiting school districts leading the way to align and integrate preschool with elementary education. Educators, parents, and community partners continued to inform and advise as the design for ESS began to take shape.

“Ultimately, we found no magic curriculum. No magic program,” said Soobin Oh, senior early education advisor at CI. “[Success] was always driven by a community coming together with a focus on instruction and classroom practices. A huge part of this work is about collaborating and problem solving with communities.”

In deciding to forge its own path, rather than simply adopting or applying an existing program, CI is creating a unique opportunity for school districts to learn, evolve, and contribute to improving education in Oregon and across the U.S.

Collaborative in Design

ESS challenges participants to engage in a conceptual re-imagining of the educational experience for young children, not just in preschool, but also as they move into and through their early elementary school years.

“The approach is really designed to foster a learning partnership between all the different stakeholders that affect and are affected by early years and early grades learning,” says Oh.

CI will bring professional development, coaching, and facilitation resources to work with districts on the issues they decide are most impactful to achieving a seamless and integrated early education experience for students and families.

The goal of ESS is to connect preschool and elementary as one continuous high-quality learning experience for district communities using these six components:

Two pilot districts chosen in May 2019—Beaverton and Forest Grove—will begin the initial phase of Early School Success. In year three of the five-year initiative, two additional Oregon school districts will be added.

Driven by Communities

This fall, a team of educators, administrators, parents, and other community partners in the two pilot districts will start to assess community needs and then develop a plan to address them.

In addition, the districts chosen will engage in cross-district professional learning as well as incorporate family and community engagement with the goal of continuous improvement over time.

Bridging two previously disconnected areas of instructional practice is something even veteran teachers and administrators may not have experience doing. It is especially challenging to explain that strategy to parents who are just entering the preschool and elementary education years. In some cases, families may have little to no experience in the U.S. education system at all.

The staff, parents, and partners of the Early Works sites, with nearly a decade of expertise in doing this work, will play a key advisory and participatory role. ESS aims to broaden its reach across the state and beyond so all children enjoy a smooth transition between preschool and the early grades.

“We have set up a structure that is grounded in values that are fundamental for transformational change,” says Dr. Merrill. “There is a real sense of openness and so many directions that districts can go in from there. We are so excited to begin this work.”