Creating a SystemReady to Support All Families- An Overview of the All:Ready Network
The All:Ready Network (housed in Clackamas County’s Children, Family and Community Connections Division) is a participant in the Upstream Initiative. In this video, Kari Lyons, who leads All:Ready, provides an overview of the Network’s innovative work to create a kindergarten readiness system that’s ready to support all families.
To get the services they need during the first years of a child’s life, families have to navigate a confusing, fragmented and exhausting landscape. Making dozens of phone calls; waiting for months for openings with child care providers and health care specialists; providing the same information over and over; losing access to critical financial support because of a small change in income — this is the reality for far too many families in today’s system.
The All:Ready Network was started by Health Share of Oregon in 2018 with a transformative question: What would it look like if it was the other way around? What if we made it the system’s responsibility to be ready to support all families’ needs, instead of families’ responsibility to navigate the system? Currently housed at Clackamas County’s Children, Families and Community Connections, they continue to work hard on solutions that answer these questions.
Over the past 6 years, All:Ready has done incredible work to develop a vision for a regional early childhood network in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington Counties. The Network’s work has included in-depth data analysis, systems and journey mapping, and pilot projects driven by family voice, all through an anti-racist, trauma-informed lens.
I recently had the opportunity to join a presentation by Kari Lyons, All:Ready’s Regional Kindergarten Readiness Network Manager, where Kari shared the network’s history and journey with other Upstream Initiative participants. You can view highlights of Kari’s presentation in this 3-minute video.
At The Collaborative, this is what our work is all about: facilitating cross-sector, cross-regional collaboration to scale best practices that give every child the opportunity to thrive. Do you have a best practice you’d like to share with us? I’d love to hear from you!
In Solidarity,
Chelsea King
Executive Director
