Early Childhood Hub of Lane County to develop blueprint for improving outcomes for children
The Early Childhood Hub of Lane County has been chosen to design a community blueprint for improving the success of young children, through a partnership with Oregon Health and Education Collaborative (OHEC)’s Upstream Initiative.
This initiative is designed around one question: If anything were possible, what would it take to ensure that every child, family, and community has an equitable opportunity to succeed?
OHEC’s Upstream Initiative is asking local communities to propose systemic solutions to support children in the first 1,000 days of life – from conception to about age 2. Research and data strongly demonstrate that this is the time period in which communities can make the most impact to influence intergenerational change.
The Early Childhood Hub of Lane County was one of five organizations from across the state chosen to design a Child Success Models (CSM) blueprint. Each pilot will design their own local model; later this summer, each community’s model will be integrated to inform policy recommendations for the 2025 legislature, to scale a blueprint that can be replicated statewide.
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber, chair of the OHEC board, visited the Early Childhood Hub on Jan. 12 with Chelsea King, OHEC’s executive director, to talk with local early learning and healthcare providers involved in this effort.
“Ensuring that every child, family, and community has an equitable opportunity to succeed means striking at the conditions of injustice that exist before conception, during pregnancy, and during the first few years of life,” Kitzhaber said. “This demands a holistic approach that recognizes children exist in an ecosystem that includes their family and their community—and that the earlier we can intervene, the more successful we will be.”
Over the next eight months, the Early Childhood Hub of Lane County will work directly with local partners and community members to create a blueprint for a Child Success Model specific to Lane.
The blueprint will ensure services, supports, interventions, and protective factors reach each child during the first 1,000 days of life, prepare children and families to successfully enter the education system, and then provide community support to ensure educational and health needs are met. Ideally, these efforts would be coordinated through a community-based entity that can reach far upstream, identify the factors that threaten the success of a child, and prevent them before they begin.
“We were also excited about (this project) because of the idea of getting to the root causes,” said Judy Newman, strategic advisor for the Early Childhood Hub and local early learning advocate. “How can we really meaningfully make this work? How do we fund prevention? How do we get at this sooner? We’re partnering here with the hope of changing some policies and access issues.”
The other four Design Pilots are the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub, the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, Yamhill Community Care and KairosPDX in Multnomah County. Each will receive a $65,000 grant to support their work.
Healthcare providers, educators, and those serving families, as well as families themselves, are invited to weigh in and help shape on this community blueprint.
More info: Michelle Sheng-Palmisano, co-director of the Early Childhood Hub, and [email protected] and visit OregonCollaborative.org.
Class of 2023 achieves 2nd-highest graduation rate ever in Oregon
While the overall rate held steady, some student groups reached all-time highs for graduation including former English Learners (87.6%) and Migrant students (81.6%).
The statewide graduation rate for the class of 2023 is 81.3%, tying the previous class as the second highest graduation rate ever recorded in Oregon, according to data released by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
While the overall rate held steady, some student groups reached all-time highs for graduation including former English Learners (87.6%) and Migrant students (81.6%).
“These 37,700 graduates overcame historic challenges to earn their diploma. During their journey to graduation the class of 2023 endured the full, multi-year impact of COVID and its aftermath,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, ODE director. “With impressive grit and resourcefulness they worked their way through the jarring and isolating impacts of the pandemic to earn their education. We need to maintain high expectations and provide high levels of support that will lead to academic excellence for all of our students.”
“It’s important that we are seeing some positive results in key areas where the state has been targeting resources, such as career and technical education and supporting English Language Learners,” said Gov. Tina Kotek. “This targeted approach to success is working for our students, so let’s do more of that, and I hope lawmakers support summer learning investment in the 2024 session.”
Other key findings
• Students completing two credits in an approved Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program of Study significantly exceeded the statewide average, graduating at a rate of 95%.
• Former English Learners – students who have successfully completed English Learner programs prior to entering high school in Oregon – graduated at 87.6%, 6 percentage points higher than the statewide average and an all-time high for that student group.
• Special Education students also saw the highest graduation rate for that student group at 68.6%.
• The graduation rate for students experiencing houselessness increased 2% to 60.6% which is also a record high for that student group.
• For the first time, graduation rates are reported for military connected students (86.7%), students with experience in incarceration or detention (35.8%) and students recently arrived (63.3%).
CLASS ACTS
Pacific University Fall Dean’s List
Springfield: Andrew Seiler
Cottage Grove: Layla Obeidi
Linfield University Fall Dean’s List
Springfield: Holly Anderson
Creswell: Brielle Brick
Southern New Hampshire University Fall President’s List
Springfield: Keri Best, Jennifer Williams, Karen Lovell, Michael Haley
Creswell: Teri Houtz
Cottage Grove: Christine Harper
Southern New Hampshire University Fall Dean’s List
Springfield: Madison Casley
Cottage Grove: Evan Calderwood, Nikki Kahoilua
Oregon Institute of Technology Fall Dean’s List
Springfield: Nich Luton, Lexi Hall, September Sahnow
Cottage Grove: Jordan Thielke, Chase Fuller, Avree Block,
Pleasant Hill: Ben Hogervorst
Oregon Institute of Technology Fall President’s List
Springfield: Kennedy Morris, Nicholas Lucas, Mackenna Smith, Jaelynne Birkby, Peyton Andrus, Nik Norby, Austin Sahnow, Kirstin Yaroma, Katie Sabin, Lily Bonomo, Henry Shere
Creswell: Brandon Moehlmann, Wyatt Petrasek, Gabby Halgren, Madison Demagalski
Cottage Grove: Zane Schnee, Emmett McDonald, Haley Maddess
Western Oregon University Fall honor roll
Springfield: Brayden Allen, Kyle Babcock, Hannah Barr, Cassidy Burns, Tamerra Cervantes Carlos, Tessa Douangaphaivong, Paige Gault, Reece Germen, Wyatt King, Seth Miller, Aaron Neiwert, Emma Peterson, Mandy Reid, Rhylie Sevits, Aubrie Stone, Christian Velasco, Lilly Vogt, Ally Warner
Cottage Grove: Gracie Arnold, Hailey Cook, Gabriel Cortes, Nicole Derrick, Char Hawks, Piper Youngmayr
Pleasant Hill: Sam Hogervorst
Lowell: Katie Chapman
