ELM is focused on racial equity for good reason—because biases built into our early learning system create barriers for children of color even before they step foot in a school.

The root causes of inequities impact families and children across our county in lots of ways, every day. The work we do at Early Learning Multnomah and the programs we invest in have to reflect the reality of that diversity of experience and opportunity. As Oregon prepares to make new investments in early learning, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the significant work that has happened since the beginning of this year.

In July we celebrated five years of parent leadership through the Parent Accountability Council with a family celebration. Check out some of the photos from the day.

Molly Day has been a Director of Early Learning Multnomah since its inception. We asked her to reflect on a half-decade of ELM and what she imagines for the next five years.