Honors & Grants

Faculty Development Grant Award (2023-25). Award $15,000. Research engagement award given to initiate a faculty research or teaching project. 

CCAMPIS Grant Award (2022-2026). Award $2,280,000.  Scholarship funds, operations costs, professional development training, personnel, services and supplies and research support funds for 30 additional child care slots given to low-income PSU student families. Principal investigator: Will Parnell

Hoffman Award. (2021). Honorarium Award $1,500. Recognized as one of the most prestigious honors given by Portland State University. The Hoffmann Award is given annually to a tenure-related faculty member in recognition of distinguished contributions to the University in the areas of instruction, university service, and scholarship (in that order) which are done in the spirit of humanism, civility, and collegiality with particular dedication to students and loyalty to the University—values especially cherished by George Hoffmann.

Top Reviewer Award. (2021). Recognized by Early Childhood Research Quarterly Journal for “Outstanding Work and Dedication as a Top Reviewer.”

CCAMPIS Grant Award (2018-2022). Award: $1,478,000. Scholarship funds, operations costs, professional development training, personnel, services and supplies and research support funds for 30 additional child care slots given to low-income PSU student families. Principal investigator: Will Parnell Co-PI: Ellie Justice

Internationalization and Study Abroad Grant Award. (2017, Summer). Award: $1000. Planning grant for infusing my Reggio Study Abroad principles and practices into Action Research and other master’s degree courses.

Society of Professors of Education Book Award (2016, Apr). Award bestowed upon us as Editors for Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood Education: Implications for Policy and Practice. The award was presented April 9 at the American Educational Research Association in Washington, D.C.

PSU Faculty Travel Grant Award. (Summer 2015). Award: $3341. Travel grant to present early childhood research at the International Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

CCAMPIS Grant Award (2014-2018). Award: $1,478,000. Scholarship funds, operations costs, professional development training, personnel, services and supplies and research support funds for 30 additional child care slots given to low-income PSU student families. Principal investigator: Will Parnell Co-PI: Ellie Justice

PSU Faculty Travel Grant Award. (Winter 2014). Award: $2000. Travel grant to present early childhood research at the American Educational Research Association in Philadelphia, PA.

National Technology Leadership in Early Childhood Education Award. (2012). Award: $250. National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators bestowed this national award for my Young Children journal article iDocument: How smartphones and tablets are changing documentation in preschool and primary classrooms (reprinted in Spotlight on Technology book) and for other outstanding local, regional and national notoriety for this research.

CCAMPIS Grant Award (2010-2014). Award: $720,000. Scholarship funds, operations costs, professional development training, personnel, services and supplies and research support funds for 30 additional child care slots given to low-income PSU student families. Principal investigator: Will Parnell

PSU Student Building Fees Award (2011). Award: $500,000. Research funds for securing and building out a Child Development Center site on PSU campus. Principal investigators: Will Parnell, Ellie Justice, Lola Lawson.

PSU Faculty Travel Grant Award. (Spring 2011). Award: $444. Travel grant to present early childhood research at the American Educational Research Association in Vancouver, B.C.

PSU Academic Excellence Hybrid Course Award. (2011). Award: $1,500. Professional development stipend for learning to create hybrid courses. Principal investigator: Will Parnell

PSU Miller Grant Award. (2010). Award: $2,500. Research funds for travel and initial REmida research in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Principal investigator: Will Parnell

Sampsell Fellowship Grant Award. (2009-2010). Award: $10,000. Research funds for special education inclusion in Helen Gordon Center. Principal investigators: Ruth Falco, Dave Allen. Co-investigators: Leslie Munson, Christine Chaille, Ellie Justice, and Will Parnell.

PSU Faculty Travel Grant Award. (Spring 2009). Award: $1,500. Travel grant to present early childhood reconceptualist research themed on Pedagogies of Hope in Bethlehem, Palestine.

Helen Gordon Child Development Center expansion and historic renovation. (2001-2005). Award: $7,500,000. Funds for expansion and renovation contract of child care program on campus awarded to PSU’s Helen Gordon Child Development Center. Plans co-developed by PSU Facilities & Planning, Will Parnell, Ellie Justice, Associated Students of PSU representative, Helen Gordon Center parent representative, GBD Architects, and the City of Portland Planning Office. Funded by Student Building Fees Committee ($7 million), Helen Gordon Center fundraising and grants ($260,000), and the PSU Finance and Administration Office ($240,000). Co-principal investigators: Will Parnell, Ellie Justice and Bar Johnson.

Federal Subsidy and Child Care Access Grant. CCAMPIS: Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools. (October 2002-October 2005). Award: $240,946. Funds for Helen Gordon Child Development Center. Funded by U.S. Department of Education. Co-principal investigators: Will Parnell and Ellie Justice. 

PSU Technology Grant. Technology for Teacher, Families, and Children. (January 2004). Award: $9,000. Funds for digital equipment, LCD technology, and laptops. Funded by PSU’s Information Technology Department. Co-principal investigators: Dave Bullock and Will Parnell.

PSU Technology Grant. Technology for Teachers and Children. (June 2001). Award: $30,000 Funds for digital cameras, printers, scanners, recorders, and computers. Funded by Associated Students of Portland State University. Principal investigator: Will Parnell. 

Hewlett Packard Technology Award. (1999). Technology for Early Childhood Administration and Teaching: First Encounter with the Digital World September. Award: $5,000. Funds for computers, printers, digital cameras, a scanner and ongoing support for 2 years with digital equipment. Administration software program, electronic door entry system, and ongoing technology support of systems. Funded by Lucille Packard Foundation and Microsoft Corporation. Principal investigator: Will Parnell. 

United States Department of Agriculture Food Program. Ongoing food subsidy program for the Helen Gordon Center. (1995-present-renewed annually). Award: $48,000. Funded by the Oregon Department of Education. Co-principal investigators: Will Parnell, Ellie Justice, and Britton Pietz.