Oregon Child Care Research Partnership

History of the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership

In 1987, Oregon began its child care resource and referral (R&R) system under the auspices of the Oregon Commission for Child Care. State child care agency staff, university researchers, the Commission for Child Care representatives, and staff building the new R&R system saw an opportunity to develop data about the child care system by building good data collection procedures into the emerging R&R system. By 1990, partners were meeting regularly and had secured a grant from the Aspen Institute to support this fledging data collection effort. The Aspen Institute provided researchers to grass roots organizations who needed research expertise. Arthur C. Emlen had been doing child care research for over 20 years, and Aspen Institute funding made his services available to the partners. Since that time Arthur Emlen has supported partner efforts to create data collection, analysis, and reporting strategies that provide information on child care dynamics to decision-makers.

In 1993, the partners became part of the AT&T Foundation’s Early Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP), administered by the Families and Work Institute in New York. Through funding, technical assistance and shared efforts with other EQUIP sites, Oregon partners continued to develop methods for measuring different aspects of child care. Participation in EQUIP also connected the Oregon partners with national efforts to use data to inform child care decision-making.

In 1995, Congress created the Child Care Bureau within the Department of Health and Human Services. One of the first acts of the new Bureau was to develop child care research capacity. Oregon became one of the first three child care research partnerships funded by the Child Care Bureau and helped develop the Bureau’s Child Care Policy Research Consortium. The Regional Research Institute at Portland State University managed this first grant (sometimes called Wave One) for the partners. Oregon was successful in continuing into the next Bureau funding of research partnerships (sometimes called Wave Two), and leadership moved to Linn-Benton Community College in 1997.

Throughout its history, Oregon partners have remained committed to building the capacity for accountability and ongoing data collection, analysis, and reporting into its child care system. Assistance for this effort came in the form of a State Capacity grant from the Child Care Bureau to the Child Care Division in 2001. Oregon State University’s Family Policy Program coordinates the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership. The Partnership continues to be the working collaboration of state child care agency staff, university researchers, the child care resource and referral network, and other child care practitioners.


	[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]		Health and Human Sciences » Human Development and Family Sciences » Family Policy Program » OCCRP » History. History of the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership In 1987, Oregon began its child care resource and referral (R&R) system under the auspices of the Oregon Commission for Child Care. State child care agency staff, university researchers, the Commission for Child Care representatives, and staff building the new R&R system saw an opportunity to develop data about the child care system by building good data collection procedures into the emerging R&R system. By 1990, partners were meeting regularly and had secured a grant from the Aspen Institute to support this fledging data collection effort. The Aspen Institute provided researchers to grass roots organizations who needed research expertise. Arthur C. Emlen had been doing child care research for over 20 years, and Aspen Institute funding made his services available to the partners. Since that time Arthur Emlen has supported partner efforts to create data collection, analysis, and reporting strategies that provide information on child care dynamics to decision-makers. In 1993, the partners became part of the AT&T Foundation’s Early Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP), administered by the Families and Work Institute in New York. Through funding, technical assistance and shared efforts with other EQUIP sites, Oregon partners continued to develop methods for measuring different aspects of child care. Participation in EQUIP also connected the Oregon partners with national efforts to use data to inform child care decision-making. In 1995, Congress created the Child Care Bureau within the Department of Health and Human Services. One of the first acts of the new Bureau was to develop child care research capacity. Oregon became one of the first three child care research partnerships funded by the Child Care Bureau and helped develop the Bureau’s Child Care Policy Research Consortium. The Regional Research Institute at Portland State University managed this first grant (sometimes called Wave One) for the partners. Oregon was successful in continuing into the next Bureau funding of research partnerships (sometimes called Wave Two), and leadership moved to Linn-Benton Community College in 1997. Throughout its history, Oregon partners have remained committed to building the capacity for accountability and ongoing data collection, analysis, and reporting into its child care system. Assistance for this effort came in the form of a State Capacity grant from the Child Care Bureau to the Child Care Division in 2001. Oregon State University’s Family Policy Program coordinates the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership. The Partnership continues to be the working collaboration of state child care agency staff, university researchers, the child care resource and referral network, and other child care practitioners.