MyOCF

Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative

Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) is a partnership of OCF, The Ford Family and Collins Foundations, Meyer Memorial Trust and Oregon State University. Partners believe that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, and that investment in strong parenting is a critical strategy for ensuring that all children are ready to learn.

This multiyear grant program funds the delivery of parenting education programs and supports grantees through evaluation, technical assistance and professional development led by OSU. 

More than 10,000 parents have participated in best practice parenting education programs since 2010. OCF and its funding partners support 16 regional parenting "Hubs" reaching nearly every Oregon county.

OPEC supports:

  • Delivery of high-quality parenting education programs.
  • Coordinated efforts to strengthen regional parenting education systems.
  • Developing and strengthening collaborative regional parenting education Hubs.

Map of awards approved in 2022

Download map

Take Note

OPEC funding is now available only to current initiative grantees.

A retrospective report, the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative: Helping parents raise children who thrive, is now available. The report summarizes the work of OPEC during its first five years, and shares the strong outcomes achieved in building parenting education and regional infrastructure, as well as increasing positive parenting capacities.

Goals

OPEC's vision is a stronger statewide system of programs, information and support for all parents, with a focus on programs reaching parents of children prenatal to 6 years.

OPEC envisions that by 2020, all Oregon parents will have access to high-quality parenting education programs that support them in their critical role as their children’s first teachers, all Oregon communities will be served by a network of strong parenting programs and a regional parenting education Hub, and parenting education will be a community norm.

OPEC has the following goals:

  • Expand access to best-practice programs for parents of young children.
  • Increase the capacity of parents to play a positive, primary role in the care, nurturing and development of their children in their first years.
  • Build community and reduce social isolation for parents of young children.
  • Strengthen families while reducing the potential for child abuse and neglect.
  • Increase the efficiency and coordination of parenting education resources.
  • Raise awareness of the importance of effective parenting and promote parenting education as a community norm.
  • Leverage previous investments.
  • Continue efforts to build a statewide parenting education system.
  • Continue evaluation and research of the impact of parenting education programs.

Evaluation

A Cumulative Report and Overview (2010-2018) of the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative is available to download.

Outcomes

As of spring 2019, OPEC can report the following outcomes achieved since 2010:

  • Seventeen parenting Hubs are reaching 35 of 36 Oregon counties, as well as Siskiyou County, California. Many of these Hubs are providing parenting education programs to previously under-served populations.
  • 10,822 parents attended 1,281 class series funded by OPEC (with an additional 13,796 parents reached by OPEC grantees and their partners using a variety of curricula).
  • Many new families (10,670) were reached through home visits supported by OPEC and other funds.
  • Over 26,000 family programs included workshops, family activities and parent support events.
  • 888 facilitators were trained with OPEC funding.
  • Grantees leveraged the foundations' funding by nearly 200 percent.
  • Parents reported significant improvements in parenting skills and child behavior.
  • Parenting Hubs are forging significant new community partnerships and in many cases, providing parenting education programs in previously under-served or un-served areas.
  • Community partners overwhelmingly believe that parenting Hub activities in their region are: increasing coordination and reducing duplication of services; and generating community awareness of the importance of parenting education.

Visit the program's website at: https://health.oregonstate.edu/opec.

For more information on the Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative, please contact:

Support Parenting Education

A child’s first five years are critical to success in school and in life. Lend your support to parenting education programs in your community, or donate to the OCF Ready to Learn Fund.