The Five Design Pilots in the Upstream Initiative
The Oregon Health and Education Collaborative would like to announce five unique and geographically diverse statewide communities who are partnering with one another and with OHEC to create a blueprint for a Child Success Model that will be specific to their region, and will inform statewide policy, practice and investment.
These five Design Pilots were invited to be at the heart of OHEC's Upstream Initiative through a selection process that included criteria developed in partnership between The Collaborative and the Children's Institute. Each of these five backbone entities demonstrated a strategic and culturally responsive focus on the First 1000 Days of Life and the existing capacity to engage in cross-sector collaboration to deepen and expand their communities' commitment to investing in this critical period of human and family development.
The five Design Pilots are the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, the Early Childhood Hub of Lane County, Yamhill Community Care, KairosPDX and the Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub. Each pilot will design their own local process and will send representatives to a learning collaborative operated by the Oregon Health and Education Collaborative, that will glean local wisdom into a blueprint that can be replicated statewide.
From left to right, Top Row: Jenn Richter, John Kitzhaber, Lara Arriola, Marissa Loiland, Whitney Swander, Shiela Neil, Erin Bartsch, Holly Mar-Conte, Michelle Sheng-Palmisano, Jasmine Love, Lorelei Mitchell, Clarice Bailey, Lisa Harnisch, Cassie Bruske. Bottom Row: Chelsea King, Hákon Kahjavei, Diana Bianco
On Monday, December 4th 2023, we all gathered at the YMCA across the street from the capitol building and spent the day establishing a strong foundation for collective action. This in-person launch of our statewide learning collaborative had representatives from each of the five design pilots, and OHEC leadership. We discussed the role of poverty and racism in undermining the stability and potential of our children and families, how we will interact and engage with one another throughout this project, and our vision for local efforts and our shared statewide effort.
“Ensuring that every child, family and community has an equitable opportunity to succeed means striking at the conditions of injustice that exist before conception, during pregnancy and during the first few years of life. This demands a holistic approach that recognizes children exist in an ecosystem that includes their family and their community—and that the earlier we can intervene, the more successful we will be.” Former Governor John Kitzhaber, Chair of the OHEC Board.
We are following an emergent strategy and know that we do not already know the answer to the question. At the same time we hold a vision of a vibrant and robust community-based entity that is resourced and empowered to reach far upstream, identify the factors that threaten the success of a child and their family before conception, during pregnancy and the first few years of life, aggregate the various supports and services available, then identify and deliver protective factors necessary to lower risk factors.
Sincerely,
Chelsea King
Executive Director
