Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation
The Raising of America is a documentary series that interweaves the latest discoveries from neuroscience with the stories of families and communities struggling to provide the nurturing environments all babies and young children need to thrive—while too often hindered by social conditions that put their children on low developmental trajectories.
The Raising of America grew directly out of California Newsreel’s four-hour PBS series,
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick, which explores the root causes of our alarming class and racial inequities in health.
Visit the documentary website to learn more.
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County data sheets are developed upon request. If you are planning a screening and would like a data sheet for your county, contact
anna.k.stiefvater@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Episode 1: ONCE UPON A TIME
When Childcare for All Wasn’t Just a Fairytale
Just imagine how things might be different if, for the past four decades, all American children had access to high-quality early care. It almost happened. Back in 1971, Congress passed a bill providing high-quality, universal childcare, home visiting and other services from birth to age 5 to every family that wanted it. President Nixon’s 11th-hour veto marked the first time “family values” was invoked to undermine pro-family and child initiatives.
Episode 2: ARE WE CRAZY ABOUT OUR KIDS?
Investing in high-quality early care and education pays for itself in many ways and many times over. This episode brings to life the classic economic studies of Perry Preschool and other initiatives conducted by Nobel laureate James Heckman, former Federal Reserve economist Arthur Rolnick and others to illustrate how we can either invest early for success or pay more for failure later. So, what is holding us back?
Brought to you by:
- Oregon Health Authority, Maternal and Child Health
- Oregon Department of Education, Early Learning Division
- Oregon Public Health Association
- Family Forward Oregon
- OHA’s Healthy Families Employee Resource Center