News
Join us for Dance Like a Mother!
You’re cordially invited to the 11th annual Dance Like a Mother! WHEN: November 8, 2025, 6:30pm – 9:30pmWHERE: Holocene, 1001 Southeast Morrison Street, Portland, OR 97214 Tickets are available now! Space is limited. Get yours below!
Family Forward Statement on Appeals Court Ruling on Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding
On September 12, we learned that an appeals court allowed the Trump administration to block Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood while additional legal challenges carry on. It is disheartening to see the appeals court enable the Trump administration’s efforts to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, and we are deeply concerned by this administration’s continued […]
Federal Court Halts Trump Administration’s Unlawful Attacks on Head Start Families
The following is an update to the lawsuit filed in April with the ACLU to protect access to Head Start for all families. Judge grants preliminary injunction blocking a directive from the HHS that seeks to limit access to Head Start based on immigration status SEATTLE – In a win for working families, a federal […]
Multnomah County Preschool for All is safe — for now
After months of public pushback, Multnomah County Commissioners were well aware of the community’s disapproval of the proposed revisions to the Preschool for All program funding. The proposed tax indexing from one commissioner in particular would have decimated the program’s funding, forcing the program to close entirely. So we showed up. We made noise. And we made […]
Family Forward Joins ACLU for Lawsuit Hearing in Seattle
Below are remarks from our Deputy Director, Courtney Veronneau, shared on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Good morning, folks. My name is Courtney Veronneau, I use she/her pronouns. I am the Deputy Director of Movement Building at Family Forward Oregon, a parent-led advocacy organization fighting […]
Family Forward Oregon Statement on Preschool Promise Funding Investigation
The recent investigation into Preschool Promise funding decisions and practices by the Early Learning Division (ELD) found that less than 1% of funding could be defined as alleged waste, and there were no findings of fraud. While the investigation may have an attention-grabbing headline, it misses the larger story. Most notably, the pandemic highlighted the […]
Oregon’s 83rd Legislative Session Comes to a Close — Lawmakers Cut $65M from DELC & Community Defended Multnomah County Preschool For All
The 2025 legislative session sine die was late Friday night June 27, 2025 with no notable wins for Oregon’s care economy despite our super democratic majority and turnout by community and advocates. Our top priorities for the 2025 legislative session focused on these main pillars: 1.) access and affordability; 2.) the child care workforce; and […]
Juneteenth en Family Forward: Luchando por nuestra liberación compartida
En Family Forward, Juneteenth es un momento de celebración y reflexión.Es un tiempo para honrar nuestras victorias y también reconocer el trabajo colectivo que aún tenemos por delante. Durante Juneteenth, renovamos nuestro compromiso de luchar contra el racismo, tanto visible como encubierto, y reconocemos las desigualdades que enfrentan los afroamericanos al acceder al cuidado — […]
Juneteenth at Family Forward — Fighting for Our Shared Liberation
At Family Forward, Juneteenth is a time of celebration and reflection. It’s a time to honor our wins while also recognizing the collective work before us. During Juneteenth, we recommit ourselves to fighting both overt and covert racism, and we acknowledge the intentional disparities Black Americans face when accessing care — especially when it comes […]
Welcome Development Director, Jess O’Donnell!
When I moved to Oregon with two young kids 10 years ago, I knew Oregon was a child care desert — but I didn’t realize how bad it truly was. I began working as an Early Learning educator when my daughters were in preschool. When COVID-19 disrupted the child care system further, things only got […]
RELEASE: Child Care Advocates Celebrate Representative Janelle Bynum’s Inauguration to Oregon’s 5th Congressional District
As a child care champion committed to supporting Oregon families, Family Forward Oregon and the Children’s Institute are eager to partner with the incoming Congresswoman. WASHINGTON D.C. — On Friday, January 3, 2025, amongst more than 60 fellow newcomers to Congress, Janelle Bynum was sworn in to represent Oregon’s 5th Congressional District as the state’s […]