We have been working with The Ford Family Foundation (TFFF) since 2023, providing thought partnership, evaluation and learning support, and camaraderie to TFFF program staff as the foundation continues its deep commitment and support of Oregon’s early childhood sector. 

One product of this work is the report Progress at Risk: Child Care in Rural Oregon, released in 2024. The report is an update on five strategies first recommended in a report completed by child care financing expert Louise Stoney in 2020. Our report documents the progress made in the last five years, while exploring prevailing challenges, current opportunities and the risks ahead to this sector. To complete the report, we conducted extensive desk research, held stakeholder interviews and undertook policy analysis. Ultimately, the report underscores the ways in which families – particularly in rural Oregon – remain underserved by the child care system.