Our Children Oregon

OUR CHILDREN OREGON'S MISSION IS TO BE A VOICE AND FORCE FOR THE COMMON GOOD FOR ALL OREGON CHILDREN, ENSURING ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES THEY NEED TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. WE ELEVATE DATA AND THE VOICES OF COMMUNITIES TO AMPLIFY THE NEED AND COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP POLICY AND PUBLIC INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE OVERALL CHILD AND FAMILY WELL- BEING ACROSS THE STATE. OUR VISION IS THAT OREGON WILL LEAD THE NATION IN PROVIDING A STATEWIDE COMMUNITY THAT NURTURES AND PROTECTS ALL CHILDREN, ENSURING THAT ALL "OUR CHILDREN" BELONG AND HAVE EQUAL VALUE AND OPPORTUNITY.

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, OUR CHILDREN OREGON (PREVIOUSLY OPERATING AS THE CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND OF OREGON) HAS FOCUSED ON CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND STRENGTHENING OREGON'S FAMILIES THROUGH STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS IN LOCAL AND EVIDENCE-BASED CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAMS, WE CHAMPION ADVOCACY EFFORTS TO PROTECT CHILDREN. WE SEEK TO OFFER A COMPREHENSIVE PREVENTION ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF ALL CHILDREN IN OUR STATE. SERVING IN THE ROLE OF CONVENER AND EDUCATOR, AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS ARE ENGAGED THROUGH THE CHILDREN'S AGENDA COALITION TO ADVOCATE FOR POLICIES AND INVESTMENTS THAT WILL PROVIDE CONCRETE SUPPORTS FOR THE FAMILIES THEY SERVE AND CATALYZE UPSTREAM PREVENTION INVESTMENTS.

ALL CHILDREN THRIVE THE ACT COLLECTIVE INCLUDES INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY AND FAITH-BASED GROUPS, AND SMALL BUSINESSES AND COMPANIES COMMITTED TO IMPROVING CHILD WELL-BEING STATEWIDE. ACT IS BUILDING A NETWORK OF COMMITTED ADVOCATES FOR OREGON'S FUTURE THROUGH ACCESSIBLE AND COST-FREE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES. ROOTED IN SHARED VALUES, ACT BRINGS TOGETHER YOUTH, FAMILIES, AND INDIVIDUALS, ALONGSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, GROUPS AND BUSINESSES STATEWIDE, TO ACT COLLECTIVELY FOR AND WITH OREGON'S CHILDREN AND YOUTH. THE ALL CHILDREN THRIVE (ACT) COLLECTIVE IS A WAY TO BUILD A MOVEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN ACROSS THE STATE. ACT SEEKS TO ACTIVATE OREGONIANS FOR CHILD AND YOUTH CENTRIC LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY. IT IS ALSO THE HOPE THAT, AS THE MOVEMENT GROWS, IT WILL BE A COUNTY-BY-COUNTY PRESENCE OF OREGONIANS UNITED FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF ALL OREGON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY THOSE IMPACTED BY SYSTEMIC MARGINALIZATION. WE HAVE OVER 600 ACT MEMBERS, 67 OF WHOM REPRESENT RURAL COMMUNITIES. THESE MEMBERS REPRESENT 14 COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

POLICY & ADVOCACY IN ORDER TO MAKE OREGON A PLACE WHERE ALL CHILDREN CAN THRIVE, WE MUST ENSURE AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD FOR CHILDREN TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. TO PROVIDE THIS FOUNDATION, CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES MUST HAVE ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED TO THRIVE. THIS ACCESS WORKS LIKE A POWER GRID, BUT IT IS PATCHY AND UNEVEN IN SOME AREAS. POLICY CHANGES AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS CAN HELP US REPAIR AND EXPAND OREGON'S RESOURCE GRID - SO THAT EVERY FAMILY AND EVERY CHILD HAS THE "ENERGY" TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. THROUGH THE CHILDREN'S AGENDA, WE PROVIDE STATE LEGISLATORS WITH A ROADMAP FOR THIS WORK BY PRIORITIZING POLICY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THE MOST PRESSING PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. OUR CHILDREN OREGON BRINGS TOGETHER A COMMUNITY OF ADVOCATES, COALITIONS, AND PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO CHAMPION STATE LEGISLATIVE POLICIES AND SHARED INVESTMENTS THAT BENEFIT CHILD WELL-BEING. OUR 130 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS COME TOGETHER PRIOR TO EACH LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE IN CHILD AND FAMILY ISSUES. THEIR DIVERSITY OF KNOWLEDGE, PERSPECTIVES, AND PRIORITIES INFORMS THE POLICIES WE PURSUE AND THE STRATEGIES WE EMPLOY. WHILE NOT ALL ORGANIZATIONS ARE ACTIVELY PURSUING EACH AGENDA ITEM, WE STAND TOGETHER TO PROPOSE SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS AND INVESTMENTS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO PROVIDE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR OREGON'S CHILDREN NOW AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. OCO SUCCESSFULLY FACILITATED THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT WORK OF ~130 ORGANIZATIONS TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE LEGISLATIVE POLICY AGENDA FOR THE CHILDREN OF OREGON. 23 OF OUR COALITION DRIVEN CONCEPTS BECAME LAW, TOTALING AN INVESTMENT OF 448.4M OF COMMITTED RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE STATE. HOSTED OUR INAUGURAL CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY DAY INCLUDING 75 ATTENDEES OF ALL AGES FROM 11 COUNTIES, INCLUDING 7 RURAL COUNTIES. COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM VARIOUS COUNTIES, SUCH AS JACKSON, DESCHUTES, LINCOLN, AND MORE, JOINED TO SHARE THEIR STORIES ABOUT WHY THE CHILDREN'S AGENDA WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES. TOGETHER WE REACHED 50 OF OUR STATE LEGISLATORS.

RESEARCH & DATA OUR CHILDREN IS FOCUSED ON ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY THROUGH DATA-DRIVEN POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. BY DOING SO, WE AIM TO INFORM LEGISLATORS AND PUBLIC AUTHORITIES TO HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT SERVE THE HOLISTIC NEEDS OF OREGON'S CHILDREN. OUR PROVISION OF RELIABLE DIS-AGGREGATED DATA, WHICH ENCOMPASSES A RANGE OF DEMOGRAPHICS AND GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS, ENHANCES THE DIALOGUE AROUND CHILD WELL-BEING AND ASSISTS DECISION-MAKERS IN BETTER SERVING THEIR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. OUR CHILDREN OREGON HAS SERVED AS OREGON'S STATE KIDS COUNT PARTNER (A PROGRAM OF THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION) FOR OVER TWO DECADES. WE SUPPORT THE MISSION OF KIDS COUNT TO ENSURE UNBIASED AND HIGH-QUALITY DISAGGREGATED DATA ABOUT CHILD WELL-BEING IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, ADVOCATES, AND POLICYMAKERS THROUGH THE PRODUCTION AND PROMOTION OF THE OREGON COUNTY DATA BOOK. RELEASED ANNUALLY IN THE SPRING, THIS REPORT ON THE STATUS OF OREGON'S CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MONITORS KEY INDICATORS ACROSS DOMAINS OF CHILD WELL-BEING, INCLUDING HEALTH AND EDUCATION, AT THE STATE AND COUNTY LEVELS. OCO PRODUCED THE 2022 KIDS COUNT NATIONAL DATA BOOK AND THE KIDS COUNT OREGON COUNTY DATA CARDS FEATURING 25 INDICATORS ACROSS 5 WELL-BEING DOMAINS, MANY RACIALLY DISAGGREGATED, AND NEWLY HIGHLIGHTING CLIMATE AND SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES. THESE INTERACTIVE DATA CARDS TAKE STEPS TO DECOLONIZE OUR DATA COLLECTION AND ELEVATION, AND APPLY AN EQUITY LENS IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR RESEARCH AND DATA JUSTICE COMMITMENT. BEGINNING IN 2022, OCO PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED 4 ISSUE BRIEFS AROUND SPECIFIC CHILD-FOCUSED AND INCLUSIVE OF RURAL POPULATIONS CONCERNS, INCLUDING: "OREGON'S CHILD CARE CONUNDRUM: HURDLES, DISPARITIES, AND OPPORTUNITIES AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC , A VISION FOR CHILD WELFARE REFORM , DECODING OREGON'S LITERACY CRISIS-WHY READING MATTERS AND WHAT SOLUTIONS WORK , CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHILD WELL-BEING IN OREGON . A CORNERSTONE OF OUR POLICY AND ADVOCACY WORK IS OUR DATA AND ISSUE-SPECIFIC RESEARCH BRIEFS AS WELL AS THE ONLINE WEBINAR FORMAT WE LAUNCHED IN 2022, INTERACTIONS. IN 2022 OCO HELD 13 INTERACTION EVENTS. THE ISSUES ELEVATED AND TOPICS EXPLORED ARE ISSUES IMPACTING ALL CHILDREN ACROSS THE STATE, AND INCLUDE RURAL LEADERSHIP AND INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES. INTERACTION TOPICS INCLUDED OREGON'S LITERACY CRISIS AND CHILD WELFARE REFORM.