Parenting and Family Life Research Core

Parenting and Family Life

Hallie E. Ford Center

Research Core

Researchers and faculty in this core examine healthy parenting and family life as a strong foundation for child and youth development, and healthy communities as a strong foundation for families.

Core Leadership

 

Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative

Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative

The Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) supports delivery of high-quality parenting education programs that are evidence based and culturally responsive.

OPEC Professional Development System

OPEC Professional Development

Parenting education professionals play a key role in supporting the well-being of families in ways that are culturally responsive and inclusive. As a community of parenting education professionals, we offer opportunities for networking, training, and support, and promote the value of our practice.

Current project summaries from within the core

Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative

PI: Shauna Tominey, PhD
Funding: Oregon Community Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, The Collins Foundation, Oregon Department of Human Services

The Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative (OPEC) is a partnership between four philanthropic foundations and Oregon State University. OPEC strives to increase access to and normalize participation in parenting education programs for families with children of all ages across the state of Oregon and in Siskiyou County, California. OPEC provides an infrastructure for a network of parenting education "Hubs" that coordinate local and regional parenting education services. Faculty and staff at Oregon State University support OPEC through technical assistance and strategic planning; professional development, including the annual Oregon Parenting Educators Conference; and research and evaluation.

Stories on core research and programs

News articles on core research

  • May 13, 2009

    Health professionals learn to spot food insecurity

    Although more than 12 percent of Oregon's households are considered to be "food insecure," compared to 11 percent nationally, it's not easy to identify individual households where meals are skipped because of lack of money to buy food. However, more than 200 nurses, physicians, dietitians and other health-care practitioners have taken an online course offered by Oregon State University's Ecampus that advises how to identify at-risk families and direct them to community resources for help.

  • Jan. 21, 2009

    Helping health care providers root out hunger

    With Oregon already posting the nation's third-highest hunger rate, and increasing numbers of families falling on hard times, a statewide hunger coalition wants health care providers to ask themselves whether hunger could be behind some of their patients' problems.