The Early Link Podcast - Hadiyah Miller on Improving Outcomes for Young Black Children in Oregon

Join us Sundays at 4:30pm for new episodes of The Early Link Podcast. Listen live at 99.1 FM in the heart of Portland – or online anywhere at PRP.fm.

In this week’s episode, host Rafael Otto speaks with Hadiyah Miller, president of of the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (ORAEYC) and chairperson of Black Child Development PDX about combatting the expulsion and suspension of Black children in early learning.

Children’s Institute · Hadiyah Miller on Improving Outcomes for Young Black Children in Portland

Guest

Hadiyah Miller is the current president of the ORAEYC and works as the African American Family Childcare Network Coordinator at the Childcare Resource and Referral of Multnomah County. She also serves as the Early Childhood Chairperson for the board of Black Child Development PDX.

Summary

Miller shares how Black Child Development PDX connects community members, Black leaders, and allies to change outcomes for young Black children in Portland. She explains that their present focus is on preventing the expulsion and suspension of Black children in early learning. This work is being done by elevating the Black experience and the Black voice in the legislature, and by supporting teachers to identify and fight their implicit biases so they can begin to shift how they respond to Black children.

Background

Research has shown that Black children make up 18 percent of preschoolers, but make up nearly half of all out-of-school suspensions. Different standards exist in schools for white children, and implicit bias plays a role in teachers responses to the actions of Black children.

Kids who are suspended or expelled from school are more likely to drop out, and those dropouts are more likely to end up with criminal records. This is known as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

Resources

Our episode on Preschool Expulsion and Bias

Fundraiser for Hadiyah Miller

Host:

Rafael Otto, Director of Communications, Children’s Institute

~ Thanks to Children’s Institute, working to ensure that every child in Oregon has the best start in life ~