Newsletter: December 2024
This newsletter is going to be a little different because December sees two really important projects come to a close for me, both related to child care in Oregon. I’m also actively working on a website refresh for Leonard R&E, so I’m saving some new blog posts until the new year!
The first project culminated in a report released this week titled Progress at Risk: An Update on Child Care in Rural Oregon, commissioned by The Ford Family Foundation, authored by Madeline Brandt and myself, and translated into Spanish by AB Cultural Drivers. To develop this report, Madeline and I spent many hours exploring the ins and outs of the strategies originally outlined in Louise Stoney’s original “Child Care in Rural Oregon” report. What we learned is that the progress we’ve made in Oregon over the last few years, while worth celebrating, is desperately at risk due to insufficient funding.
The second project is a study done in collaboration between AB Cultural Drivers, the Early Childhood Equity Collaborative, Coalition of Communities of Color, Fifth Element Community Development and Consulting, and myself. In response to HB 2991 (2023), we conducted secondary and primary research to better understand the barriers and challenges faced by members of Oregon’s early learning and care workforce. Our final report is now in the hands of copyeditors and designers and will be released in early January.
Both of these projects were more applied research than program evaluation, but I found us time and time again bringing an evaluative lens to the work and practicing the Equitable Evaluation Framework (TM). Thinking not just about what we know and don’t know, but about why things are the way they are, and how they might be different. Better. And about who gets to decide what that means and looks like.
As we head into winter break, I, like many other parents, am figuring out what to do with my daughter while school is out. We have so many crafts planned I may be bleeding glitter by new years! I’m also thinking a lot about the families that struggle to find and pay for care all year long. Both of these projects underscore an overwhelming need to think differently about and invest more deeply in the structures and supports that families, caregivers and educators need to ensure our children thrive. My hope is that these reports elevate the issue to the level of attention it truly deserves.
Curious to learn more? Question about these reports or about the state of child care in Oregon? Use the button below to find us time to connect.
Looking ahead
While I know many of us are bracing ourselves for what is coming (and already underway) in the US in 2025, I am holding onto the many things I have to look forward to in 2025! This includes:
I hope that you to have a lovely holiday season, find opportunities for the rest and rejuvenation that will be needed for 2025, and have things to look forward to as well, whether family-related, social, work or a combination.
See you in the new year!
