OSU's Early Learning Systems Initiative highlighted in Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion 2026 Impact Report

The Early Learning Systems Initiative (ELSI) at Oregon State University was highlighted in the Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion 2026 Impact Report for its work supporting inclusive early learning across the state.

Housed in the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families, ELSI is a state-funded center co-led by Megan McClelland, Katherine E. Smith Healthy Children and Families professor of human development and family sciences, and Bridget Hatfield, HDFS associate professor, who serve as co-principal investigators.

ELSI's Inclusion Initiative has trained more than 2,500 early childhood professionals across Oregon through professional development and multilingual resources grounded in the Pyramid Model and ECTA Inclusion Indicators.

The initiative also supports community teams statewide and produces research briefs and data reports to help programs and state leaders make informed decisions. This work was led by four Hallie E. Ford Center outreach coordinators: Sindy Abzun, Dominic Paz, Mackenzie Weintraub and Tess Wood.

The report also highlighted the Community-Level Family Engagement Report, which gathered family perspectives and offered practical data to help communities better partner with families of young children with disabilities.

The report was led by Rebekah Benkart, an HDFS doctoral student, and co-authored by HDFS undergraduate student Riley Peterson and graduate student Jeanie Stouffer, with Hatfield serving as senior author.