Portland, Ore. – United for Kids released the 2017 Children’s Agenda today, urging policymakers to action with concrete legislative solutions that address the most pressing problems facing Oregon’s children and families. Nearly 100 leading advocacy organizations combined efforts to create the Children’s Agenda, which presents a roadmap for the legislature to improve the lives of children across the state.
Oregon’s national rank in overall child well-being has plummeted in the last decade, decreasing from 15th to 32nd, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “We need to stop the free fall right now, and we need to see Oregon’s rank improve. Legislators don’t have to ask, ‘what do we do about it?’ — we’ve done the work for them through the Children’s Agenda. Now they need to do it,” said Children First for Oregon Executive Director Tonia Hunt.
Data released in 2016 by Children First for Oregon show that incomes aren’t keeping up with rising housing and child care costs. Many families in Oregon are struggling to meet basic needs, while one in five children lives in poverty. "The Children’s Agenda presents structural ways we can protect the economic security, education, health and safety of all kids in Oregon. Each of the solutions in the Agenda is drawn from the expertise of organizations that specialize in children and family issues,” explained Jeremiah Rigsby of CareOregon, a Children’s Agenda partner organization.
The 2017 Children’s Agenda also emphasizes the need for the legislature to raise the revenue required to adequately invest in children. “No investment garners greater returns than the investment in children,” urged Hunt. “If legislators want Oregon’s children to be sheltered, fed, healthy, educated, and safe, it’s unrealistic to cut public investments and expect successful outcomes.”
In the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions, two-thirds of policy suggestions in the prior Children’s Agendas were successful. United for Kids and the partner organizations will work with policymakers in the 2017 legislative session to continue forging a new path for Oregon’s children and families. To download the 2017 Children’s Agenda or join United for Kids, click here.
Children First for Oregon is a statewide, nonprofit organization whose mission is to make long-term systemic change by advocating for the adoption of policies and programs that keep children healthy and safe, and strengthen families. Learn more at www.cffo.org.
United for Kids is an initiative of Children First Oregon. Launched in 2015, United for Kids has one simple goal: to make Oregon the best place to be a kid. To do that, Oregon’s children need a strong and unified voice advocating for them. United for Kids connects and amplifies the collective voice of Oregonians and organizations to promote public policy change and shared investments that benefit children’s health, safety, economic security, and education. Learn more at www.orunitedforkids.org.
