Original Source | ChalkBloggers (The Chalkboard Project Blog)
By David Mandell, Thursday November 10, 2011

On October 17^th, Oregon submitted its application for the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant.

I had the opportunity to work on Oregon's application, and witness the dedication that went into it. We had just eight weeks to put together a 300+ page comprehensive plan for Oregon's early learning system.

If Oregon wins the grant, the benefit for the state will be significant. The grant, a collaborative project of the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to spur states to build comprehensive early care and education systems that promote the school readiness of all children (with a focus on those with high needs). Thirty seven states applied for the small handful of awards. The winning states will be announced before the end of the year and, if chosen, Oregon will receive $50 million over three years.

The collaboration that went into this effort exemplified what we want to see happen in Oregon's government. Folks from education, health, human services and employment worked together to plan for:

• Common early learning standards that will support the school readiness of all children.
• An integrated data system that will track children's progress and support quality improvements for programs.
• Early childhood professional development system that will build the skilled and knowledgeable workforce that is needed to deliver results for children.

The timing for this grant couldn't be better. In Oregon, early childhood is taking center stage. Governor Kitzhaber took office last January with an ambitious agenda for improving Oregon's early childhood system. His key priorities are:

• A shared focus among all those working with young children on school readiness and reading by the end of 1^st grade.
• A system for identifying and supporting high-need children through universal early screening and risk assessment.
• A range of high-quality programs to effectively support all families and high-need children.
• Families are empowered to make choices about programs and services that will best prepare their children for school.
• A strong accountability and investment system in which programs have incentives to improve quality and deliver results.
• Integrated governance and resources makes effective use of taxpayer dollars.

Oregon has just taken a crucial step in moving forward the Governor's vision. On October 18^th, the Early Learning Council - responsible for analyzing plans to merge, redesign and improve the coordination of early childhood services and align these services with child-centered outcomes - met for the first time.

Whether the feds will look favorably on Oregon's application is anyone's guess. But even if we don't win in December, Oregon's application provides a strong blueprint for how to move our early childhood agenda forward. The sprint was well worth it because Oregon is committed to this vision for the long haul.

David Mandell has been with the Children's Institute since 2006. He leads the Institute's major research projects and is integral in developing the organization's policy agenda and strategies. Prior to joining the Children's Institute staff, David was a visiting assistant professor at Reed College and adjunct faculty at Portland State University. He completed his undergraduate studies at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. David recently served on the Governor's Early Learning Design team.