Past Engagement
Non ewe 2022, ewe Oregon Department of Education (ODE) me ewe Early Learning Division (ELD) ra pwan kuta ew minafon an ren ar repwe apacha fengeni ekkewe famini me ekkewe sukun ren an epwe tongeni anisi ekkewe semirit me famini ar repwe pwopwuta kindergarten. ODE me ELD ra invite ini ekkewe sukun an repwe anomwu ewe “family interviews” nefinen ekkewe famini me ekkewe chon kai tika educators. Ina epwe tiu sukun non Oregon ra sosot ewe famini interview ren ar repwe sosot ika “pilot” katon ifa usun angangen ekkei interview. Ekkei interview nge ina ew pwan anen ODE an pwan kuta ew minafon anen an epwe tongeni anisi ekkewe famini me pwopwuta kindergarten. ODE aa ker ngeni ei pilot project ewe “Early Learning Transition me Family Interview Project.” ODE mi ekiekin epwe pwan chok sopweno ei pilot project ngeni pwan ekkewe penen sukun non ekkei ier epwe eto.
ODE me ELD ra mwochen sinei ifa usun an repwe tongeni mina an ekkei famini interview repwe angang eoch ngeni ekkewe famini me sukun. Ren an epwe fi sena, iwe ra angang fengen me Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT). OKT aa anomwu ew chufengen ngeni ekkewe aramas ir mi pwan fit nein ewe ODE famini interview non ewe 2022. Sa ker ngeni ekkei mwicheich “community conversations.” OKT aa kapas eis ngeni ekkei tetenin kapas eis ren ifa usun an epwe eochuno ewe famini interview:
- Ifa usun nonomwun emon me emon non ewe 2022 ren ewe famini interview
- Met pwan sokkun ekiek aramas ir mi anomwu non ekkan ran mwach ren faniten ewe famini interview
- Ifa usun an famini me ekkew chon kait ekiek ren ewe famini interview an epwe tongeni pwung angangan non ekkan ier epwe eto
Iei met ei repot aa anomwu ren met OKT aa rongo seni me non ewe OKT chufengen. Met ekkewe aramas ra era iwe sa anomwu non kinikinin ekkewe mi chok pwan nene ngeni.
In fall 2022, ODE and DELC worked with Oregon’s Kitchen Table (OKT) to conduct a community engagement process to hear from families and educators who participated in “family interviews,” a pilot approach to support students’ transitions into kindergarten. OKT designed and hosted “community conversations” with people who had been part of the ODE family interviews in 2022. The goal of the community conversations conducted by OKT was: 1) to hear what people’s experiences in the family interviews were like, 2) to hear what ideas people had for future family interviews, and 3) to understand how families and educators think the process might work better for families and schools in coming years.
In fall 2023, ODE and DELC worked with OKT to again hear from families and educators who participated in the 2022 "Family Conversation" at over 30 schools and districts across Oregon. The goal of the community conversations conducted by OKT was: 1) to hear what people’s experiences in the family interviews were like, 2) to hear what ideas people had for future family interviews, 3) to understand how families and educators think the process might work better for families and schools in coming years, 4) and to hear from schools who participated the previous year about the changes made for 2023.
In 2024 OKT designed and hosted listening sessions and interviews with people who work for early learning partners and programs and culturally specific community based organizations that support families with young children. The goal of the listening sessions was: 1) to hear how the Family Conversation might be most helpful for partners in their work; 2) to hear about people’s experiences in supporting families to navigate early learning and kindergarten transitions; 3) to better understand how early learning partners, community-based organizations, and culturally specific partners approach family engagement; and 4) to identify opportunities for early learning partners, community groups, culturally specific organizations, and ODE and DELC to work together regionally or on a statewide level to better understand what is happening with early learning around the state.