Data and Research

Data-informed decision-making is critical to fostering systemic change and creating positive outcomes for Oregon's youth, but timely and accurate data is often out of reach for local leaders. 

During Phase One of the Upstream Initiative, design pilots identified significant barriers to effective data utilization. 

These challenges include:

  • Data access issues. This includes difficulty locating and analyzing data across organizations; challenges disaggregating data for the first 1,000 days population; and comparing data across state-level systems.

  • Fragmented data systems. Multiple agencies collect maternity and early childhood data, but these systems are siloed and incompatible. This creates limited visibility into which children are served, where services are provided, and how effective interventions are across programs.

  • Implementation barriers. Technical challenges are compounded by privacy concerns, need for cross-agency collaboration, and resource constraints, making evidence-based decision-making complex and resource-intensive.

Identifying shared measures for informed decision-making

To begin to address these challenges, The Collaborative partnered with design pilots to develop a shared set of measures that: 

  • Reflect the realities and opportunities for the first 1,000 days population

  • Create a framework for shared learning and accountability

  • Focus on existing metrics rather than creating new measures

  • Emphasize measures that span systems and agencies

  • Improve communication of results to stakeholders

  • Enhance the capacity for evidence-based decision-making

The Upstream Initiative’s shared measures framework is a vital bridge between local innovation and statewide impact. The framework includes both population-level outcomes and system-level indicators that assess whether Oregon families are experiencing health, stability, and connection during the first 1,000 days of life, and whether systems are becoming more coordinated, culturally responsive, and family-centered.

Learn more about the shared measures framework

The State of Early Childhood in Oregon

  • 14% of Oregon children under three are living in poverty (<100% FPL)

  • 6.0% are living in deep poverty (<50% FPL)

  • 48% of rural households in Oregon lack sufficient income to meet basic living costs

  • NSCH 2022-23: Indicator 4.123: Did this child (0-5) receive effective care coordination?

    • 48.5% did not need care coordination

    • 34.2% received needed care coordination

    • 17.3% (42,821 children) did not receive needed care coordination (29th in the country)

  • 35 out of 36 Oregon counties are child care deserts for infants and toddlers

  • 24% of children under five have already experienced one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)

  • Although Oregon is a leading state in Early Head Start, only 11.5% of eligible infants and toddlers have access