New $2.28 million grant will help PSU student parents with child care

The “Child Care Access Means Parents in School” program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The College of Education is pleased to announce that Professor Will Parnell has been awarded a new grant from the U.S. Department of Education from the “Child Care Access Means Parents in School” program. The anticipated $2,289,440 federal CCAMPIS grant will be dispersed over four years and covers 100 percent of the cost of the program, with no additional funding from non-federal sources. The grant will help Portland State student families with children who attend the on campus Helen Gordon Child Development Center (HGCDC).

Professor Will Parnell, 2022

Dr. Parnell, professor of Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction at Portland State, past president of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, and Principal Investigator (PI)of this grant was elated with this news. He thanked his colleagues for their collaboration, including researcher and co-writer Twila Nesky, former HGCDC director Ellie Justice, current HGCDC director Lynn Green, Laura West, current CCAMPIS program manager, HGCDC teachers, and several graduate students, Leah Eads and Mai Ide, for their tremendous support of the CCAMPIS project. 

“This is our fifth successful federal CCAMIPS grant, so we will help a new generation of student families coming through the accredited Helen Gordon Center,” says Dr. Parnell. Accreditation is a requirement for this grant. “We are seeking additional and similar funding for the remaining three campus programs to support even more students with children,” he says. “They all could use more supports as our good colleagues in PSU’s Resource Center for Students with Children can attest!”

Dr. Parnell’s focused collaboration with HGCDC directors, including former director Ellie Justice and new director Lynn Green, has brought in more than $14 million to support on-campus children’s programming. The awards have funded construction and renovation of campus child care programs and family-friendly spaces, expansion of services and programs, and child care tuition subsidies to PSU student families. More than 16 years of Dr. Parnell’s applied research from the grants has resulted in practical and equitable solutions that lead to enduring success for student parents and families. 

“Giving student parents the opportunity to secure safe quality care for their children through the support of this grant makes all the difference for these families.”

~Lynn Green, Director, Helen Gordon Child Development Center,
Portland State University

Dr. Parnell notes: “This new award will help a lot of students achieve their dreams of an education with their child in a nearby and quality center (with which I have worked for over 25 years now)! The grant also pays for a few teachers, two student teachers, classroom supplies, and some amazing technology for the classrooms. We have come to understand that financial support for student parents through CCAMPIS directly influences student achievements, reduces family-life stressors, and increases GPAs, retention and completion of certificates, programs, and degrees. We can show that subsidized, on-campus, and accredited child care access offers student families a real chance at obtaining the education they seek. This in turn increases their livelihood and quality of lived experiences during and after graduation from PSU. This grant is producing an upward spiral and trajectory for student families. 

“Further, each iteration of this federal grant has more widely opened the doors to creating additional campus family-friendly places and a broader sense of belonging for student families on campus. For example, we probably would not have infant and toddler care on campus without CCAMPIS. There are many important and integral child care service-support tendrils coming from the work on these grants across time!”

The new federal CCAMPIS grant will help the Helen Gordon Center’s student families and provide much needed resources for scholarships and materials. Discretionary grants from the program go to support parent attendance at PSU by providing scholarships for campus-based child care services. 

“This grant is especially meaningful to our student parents who often have a touch decision to make when it comes to their ability to attend school. Giving student parents the opportunity to secure safe quality care for their children through the support of this grant makes all the difference for these families,” says Lynn Green, director of the Helen Gordon Child Development Center at Portland State University.

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By Sherron Lumley

Largest Gift in 50-Year History for PSU’s Helen Gordon Child Development Center

Anonymous donation supports tuition assistance, new technology, safety enhancements, a large playground project, and staff development

By Sherron Lumley

The Helen Gordon Child Development Center (HGCDC) provides quality early childhood education for the children of Portland State University’s students, faculty, staff, and community neighbors. Now, thanks to the largest gift in its 50-year history, it plans to do this even better with financial assistance for lower income families, upgraded technology, enhanced safety, improvements to the learning playground, and by building staff culture and capacity.

“This gift underscores the value of investments made to support early childhood programs and families, which in turn build healthy communities,” says Mary Schumacher-Hoerner, the center’s director. “We are humbled and so thankful for the gift. We really wanted to use the funds to make investments in areas that would benefit HGCDC in the long term, so we chose projects that we can continue to build on.”

Fall 2021, the center returned to full capacity, putting to good use the donation, which was made by a couple passionate about the approaches to early childhood education used at Helen Gordon, and benefits high quality early childhood care can provide not only for the children themselves, but for their families. Trusting in the wisdom of the Helen Gordon’s exceptional team, the $105,342 contribution was given unrestricted, leaving it up to the school to determine the best use for the funds.

“They are visionaries who truly see the value in investing in our youngest learners and the amazing staff at Helen Gordon. Their gift will support the center right away, as it begins to recover from pandemic-related challenges. But the really inspiring thing, is that it will continue to provide positive ripple effects into the future,” said Kari Lawrence of the PSU Foundation.

The center enrolls more than 200 children aged 4 months to 5 years, making it a vibrant learning community for current and future educators in PSU’s College of Education as well as PSU’s School of Social Work.

“This gift is quite significant in that it will have a strong positive impact on many people in our community for years to come. Supporting the center will benefit kids – and we know that high quality, early childhood education programs lead to significant, positive societal effects,” says Dr. Jose Coll, who is currently both dean of the School of Social Work and interim dean of the College of Education at PSU.

Tuition assistance

“One of the most important things we wanted to do was put some of this gift towards our tuition assistance program for all families,” says Schumacher-Hoerner. “Even though we are able to maintain a reasonable tuition for children, the cost of childcare is just sometimes out of reach for many families going to school.”

When student-parents have high-quality, reliable childcare they are more likely to persist and complete their coursework and degrees. Tuition assistance benefits all families, including students, faculty, and staff members. The funds also help families who need childcare assistance due to a temporary situation.

Enhanced technology

This gift allowed the center to upgrade out-of-date technology platforms to improve operating systems in the classrooms, workrooms and administrative areas. New equipment includes six new desktop and monitors, 12 laptops, and radios used for safety communication during the day.

A safer, better learning playground

The center is earmarking some of the funds for the learning playground, allowing for a large project that would not be possible within the regular budget. The playground investment will dramatically improve the experience and safety of this active gross-motor skill development area. Protective shade over a portion of the playground will shield children from the increased heat and UV exposure Portland is experiencing.

“On its own, the center can afford the bare essentials and operations. With philanthropic gifts, they can innovate and rise to become the best,” says Lawrence.

Staff development

This gift will also support internal capacity building work, such as visioning and planning for the future. With all of the changes brought on by the pandemic, staff needs time to plan for and adjust and respond to an ever-changing context. The true magic of Helen Gordon happens in the interactions between teachers, children, and parents. Supporting teachers helps ensure the continuation of high-quality early childhood education in years to come. 

In addition to supporting parent-students, staff, faculty, and community members, the second mission of the center is to provide an academic resource to Early Intervention, Early Childhood Education programs within the College of Education at PSU, as well as other departments and programs such as the Children Youth Families Services degree program under the School of Social Work. As a lab school, the HGCDC is a valuable addition to these programs, yet much of this instruction has shifted to online or hybrid formats, and the center needs to adapt.

 “Our talented and knowledgeable staff needs opportunities to explore how we can emerge from the pandemic as strong, or stronger than we were when we went in.” says Schumacher-Horner.

INSPIRED TO GIVE? Click here to donate to HGCDC, or call the PSU Foundation to give through monthly paycheck deductions, stocks and securities, or estate plans. Telephone (503) 725-4478.

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Helen Gordon Child Development Center is a licensed, accredited and five-star rated full day program providing care to children 6 weeks to 5 years*. Nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack) are made on site and included in tuition cost.
*Ages as of Sept. 1st, 2021

Helen Gordon swings wide its doors, once again

Helen Gordon’s Katie Iubatti, who teaches 2- and 3-year-olds, devised creative online lessons for early learners, reading aloud to her students on Zoom and leading singing sessions. Photo courtesy of Iubatti

By Jillian Daley

After shuttering due to the COVID-19 quarantine, the Helen Gordon Child Development Center is back in business.

Helen Gordon opened again on Sept. 1, but with lower enrollment. Amid the pandemic, Helen Gordon continued offering remote classes to children until May 16. Teachers showed unusual ingenuity in their approach to online instruction, singing and reading stories aloud via Zoom, Helen Gordon Director Mary Schumacher-Hoerner says. Helen Gordon, founded in 1971, falls under the auspices of the Portland State University College of Education (COE). The child development center provides teaching and learning opportunities to students in COE early education programs and students majoring in Child, Youth and Family Studies (CYFS) in the School of Social Work.