March Newsletter

My Long Journey to the Answer

"Several months ago, I went through an emotional and eye-opening experience writing an article about the Education Evaluation Center at TRI. Learning that there is a place filled with kind, wonderful, knowledgeable people who can help a person find out why life can sometimes feel like an unsolvable puzzle, I couldn't help wondering if they might find an answer for me."

TRI's media coordinator and content strategist, Carol Dennis, reflects on her experience being assessed by the Education Evaluation Center in this two-part special series.

Read Part 1: Learning Assessment at 62 Years Old here.

Read Part 2: Assessment Day here.

One Year into Statewide Rollout, Oregon's System to Improve Child Care Quality has a Long Way to Go

Amy Wang at The Oregonian/OregonLive highlights the contributions Oregon's Quality Rating and Improvement System has made to early childhood education in the state.

"[Cotton] used her financial incentives to cover the outdoor play area in her backyard, so the children could spend more time outside, and to buy new classroom materials for her staff. And she and her staff created 'a lot of really good relationships with the families' through a parent night, a new parent suggestion box and increased communication, including pictures of the children's activities.

"'It was such a beautiful experience of people being on board, of people getting together,' Cotton said."

Read the article on OregonLive here.

Working Together for Oregon's Children

On January 15-16, 2015, the Center on Early Learning at Teaching Research Institute hosted over 20 agencies from across the state to support efforts to improve the care and education of children in Oregon.

Staff from three states funded projects at TRI, along with professionals from 12 Child Care Resource & Referral agencies and partners from the Oregon Early Learning Division, the Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD), the Inclusive Child Care Program (ICCP), OregonASK, and Teen Parent programs, among others.

Read more...

TRI Now Recruiting for Study

In January, Teaching Research Institute, in partnership with the Oregon Healthy & Science University (OHSU) began recruiting for a study on Executive Function in infants and toddlers born Low Birth Weight (LBW). Recruitment has begun for babies born low birth weight and those born full term. . . .

"Executive Function is the collection of mental processes in the brain that allows for self-regulation, working memory, attention, organization, and planning," explains TRI's Patricia Blasco, Ph.D., Principal Investigator on this study.

Read more...

Learn more about participating in the study!

Changes in Registered Family Child Care Training Requirements

In January 2015, the Early Learning Council adopted revised rules for Registered Family Child Care Homes. Highlights of the changes are summarized below:

Effective immediately:
Infant/Child CPR, First Aid and food handler's certifications must be current AT ALL TIMES.

Effective July 1, 2015:
Substitute providers must have current certification in Infant/Child CPR and First Aid and if they serve food, a food handler's certification. 10 clock hours of professional development training is required for every two-year license period.

Read more...

Adventures at the Child Development Center

What have we been up to at the Child Development Center?

This month, we participated in a food drive!

We got to collect our food in boxes and take them to a big truck outside.

Then, we got to take turns putting food into the truck!

We were excellent helpers.

We love working together to help our friends and neighbors!

To see more of our adventures, visit the Child Development Center on Facebook!