Overview
Through the Early Childhood Program, OCF supports:
- early literacy and parenting programs
- scholarships for early childhood training and education
- initiatives to improve child care quality
- research on key early childhood issues and strategies
- forums for information sharing
Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative
OCF is pleased to announce a new multi-year initiative to support parenting education programs for parents of children prenatal to age six in two categories:
- Support (up to $30,000 per year for up to three years) for projects to offer best practice parenting programs through classes and/or home visits
- Support (up to $90,000 per year for up to three years) for development or expansion of regional parenting education “hubs”
The deadline for applications is February 1, 2010, with funding decisions to be made by late May and projects to begin July 1, 2010. The Requests for Proposals for both grant categories and other information are available here.
Please note that these grants will be highly competitive. OCF estimates that current funding will allow it to award two to four grants in each category.
EQUIP Initiative
The Education and Quality Investment Partnership (EQUIP) was launched with the goal of improving the lives of Oregon children by:
- promoting professional development of their caregivers and teachers and
- increasing the quality of early care programs.
EQUIP partners The Oregon Community Foundation, the Oregon Commission for Child Care, the Children’s Institute and the Oregon Child Care Division announced the new initiative on May 11, 2009.
For more information on details of the program and initiative partners, please click here.
New Parenting Education Mapping Report
The Oregon Community Foundation and The Ford Family Foundation jointly commissioned Oregon State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences to produce a report on the current status of parenting education programs in Oregon. To view the report and accompanying appendices, please click here.
2009-2010 Parenting Education and Early Literacy Grants
In February 2009, OCF awarded the final grants under two multi-year early childhood initiatives, the John and Betty Gray Early Childhood Initiative and Oregon! Ready to Learn. The grantees selected for the last year of awards are:
2009 Awards through the John and Betty Gray Early Childhood Initiative
2009 Awards through Oregon! Ready to Learn
If you have any questions about this program, feel free to contact Mary Louise McClintock, OCF Early Childhood Program Director, via email or at 503.227.6846.