Every child deserves a strong start in life. This simple principle guides our work at Southern Oregon Success, where we bring together education, healthcare, mental health, human services, public safety, and workforce development partners across Jackson and Josephine counties to promote the health, academic and life success of our children, youth and families.

Too often, our public systems operate in silos, focused on reacting to crises rather than preventing them. But a transformative opportunity lies before us with the Child Success Act (SB 1167), bipartisan legislation that would invest $12 million across seven Oregon communities to fundamentally change how we support families during pregnancy and a child’s first 1,000 days of life.

As a former state representative who served 12 years in the Oregon House, including eight years as House Co-Chair of Ways & Means, I’ve experienced firsthand how we struggle to meet growing needs with limited resources. Since leaving the legislature, I’ve seen that the only sustainable way forward is to move upstream, addressing challenges before they become crises.

This focus on early interventions is extremely powerful. By investing in upstream support for children and families during pregnancy and the first 1,000 days, we can strengthen families and communities for generations. During this crucial period, children’s brains develop more than any other time in their lives, laying the foundation for future learning, health, and behavior.

In Southern Oregon, we’ve spent years engaging with families in our community, asking them and the health and education professionals who support them about their greatest needs during early childhood.

Since 2016, Southern Oregon Success has conducted over 700 training sessions, reaching more than 20,000 people across all sectors in our region. In 2022, over 100 community members collaborated to design the Southern Oregon Early Childhood Support Network, our regional Child Success Model.

What makes this approach so effective is its community-driven design. Rather than being stuck with a one-size-fits-all solution, each of the seven demonstration pilots that will receive investment through the Child Success Act has developed a plan tailored to their local needs.

In Southern Oregon, the Child Success Act would fund specialists who will provide training and support to educators implementing the Pyramid Model—a framework for promoting social, emotional, and behavioral development in young children—and Early Intervention specialists to support families with children experiencing developmental delays or disabilities.

We’re already seeing early results.The Southern Oregon Success Family Success Plan program pairs families with trusted community partners who help develop personalized plans based on social determinants of health. Each family receives an average of $1,000 in specific funds to help reach their goals. Last year, the program served 72 families, with each showing significant progress toward stability. This year, we’re working with 300 families and plan to expand further with state investment.

These aren’t just feel-good programs. They’re strategic investments that address the root causes of poverty, substance use disorder, and housing instability—issues that undermine the health and vibrancy of our communities and cost many millions more to address downstream. And those investments look different in different parts of the state. In some areas, that means cash supports or baby supplies. In others, it’s access to midwifery care or better coordinations between services.

Oregon has already led the nation in developing community-based infrastructure through regional CCOs and Early Learning Hubs. The Child Success Act takes this innovation to the next level.

Speaking only for myself, I strongly urge our legislators to support SB 1167 as a significant step forward for our state, providing a foundation we can expand on over time to ensure that every child in every part of Oregon has the chance to thrive.

Peter Buckley is the program manager for Southern Oregon Success. He previously served 12 years in the Oregon House of Representatives representing southern Jackson County.