Child Success Act: Investing in the first 1,000 days of life
"Upstream Initiative” legislation would invest $12 million in seven regional Child Success Models across Oregon
Salem, Ore.— Sen. Lisa Reynolds, MD, and Rep. Ben Bowman introduced SB 1167 Wednesday to fund community-led Child Success Models that will transform early childhood and perinatal support systems in Oregon by focusing on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from pregnancy to age 2. Sen. Reynolds, MD, is a pediatrician and is Chair of the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health. Rep. Bowman is the House Majority Leader.
The legislation invests $12,118,200 directly in seven communities to connect pregnant and birthing people, 0-2 year olds and their caregivers with critical resources, health care, and supportive social connections.
The funding will go to seven regional demonstration pilots across Oregon:
Marion-Polk Early Learning Hub
Yamhill Community Care Early Learning Hub
Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub
Early Childhood Hub of Lane County
The Birthing Village led by Black Futures for Perinatal Health Collective
Early Learning Hub of Linn, Benton and Lincoln Counties
Southern Oregon Success & the Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub
A one-page summary of the Child Success Act is available here:
Child Success Act - Investing in the First 1,000 Days
Sen. Reynolds—who is leading a "Momnibus" package of legislation focused on perinatal and infant health this session—said, "The evidence is clear: the earlier the intervention, the bigger the impact. The Upstream Initiative's work across the state is pioneering new approaches to infant health that will contribute to a brighter future for our children and our communities."
“When we support families during pregnancy and throughout a child’s first 1,000 days, we can change lives and strengthen communities,” said Oregon Health and Education Collaborative Executive Director Chelsea King. “This public investment will jumpstart systems change at the local level and provide data and insights that can be used to improve conditions and care for pregnant people and infants across Oregon.”
Descriptions of the Child Success Models and budget summaries for each demonstration pilot are available here: Demonstration Pilot Summaries
A full budget summary is available here: SB 1167 Budget Summary
“As we look around our communities, we see that the stress of living with poverty prevents families from getting what they need. This can cause adverse childhood events that lead to bigger challenges down the road, like housing instability and substance use disorder,” said Eric Hunter, CEO of CareOregon. “It is time to break the cycle and invest upstream so all our children can reach their full potential.”
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Mike Westling at mike@espousalstrategies.com or (503) 498-8161.
Bill Sponsors
Sponsors for the bipartisan Child Success Act (SB 1167) include:
Senator Floyd Prozanski (chief sponsor)
Senator Deb Patterson (chief sponsor)
Senator Jeff Golden (co-sponsor)
Representative Lisa Fragala (co-sponsor)
Representative Shannon Isadore (co-sponsor)
Representative Bobby Levy (co-sponsor)
Representative John Lively (co-sponsor)
Representative Kevin Mannix (co-sponsor)
Representative Travis Nelson (co-sponsor)
Representative Courtney Neron (co-sponsor)
About the Upstream Initiative
The Upstream Initiative, convened and led by the Oregon Health and Education Collaborative, aims to transform early childhood and perinatal support systems in Oregon by focusing on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, a critical period for brain development, early relational health and long-term well-being.
As part of the Upstream Initiative, each demonstration pilot brought together practitioners and professionals to develop Child Success Models that connect pregnant and birthing people, 0-2 year olds and their caregivers with resources, health care, and supportive social connections.
This community-driven effort brings together health, education, and social service partners to address the root causes of poverty, racism, and housing instability through proactive, upstream investments.
Funders of the Upstream Initiative include:
CareOregon
Yamhill Community Prevention Wellness Fund
Larry and Jeanette Epping Foundation
Mid-Willamette Valley United Way
Willamette Health Council
Moda Health MJ Murdock Foundation
Oregon Community Foundation
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
Meyer Memorial Trust
Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization
Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation
About the Oregon Health and Education Collaborative
The Oregon Health and Education Collaborative brings together education and healthcare partners to build and sustain transformative cross-sector initiatives that improve the well-being of Oregon’s youth from conception through grade 12. With a focus on eliminating disparities based on race, income and zip code, The Collaborative aligns healthcare and education partners to incubate and scale integrated, community-centered systems that will give every child an equitable opportunity to thrive.
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