Issue Brief 1
Building and sustaining a robust Oregon economy in the midst of intense global competition depends on a highly educated and skilled workforce. And yet, we are failing to invest in our future workers, parents, and citizens when we get the greatest return — in the early years of life. Instead, we continue to direct limited resources to late stage treatments such as remedial education, jails, and public assistance — we respond to crises instead of preventing them.
In the process, thousands of children have been robbed of reaching their potential to contribute to their community and the economy. We can still choose what kind of state we want to be. Now is the time to change our thinking and direct our scarce resources to those strategies that have achieved the greatest results.