DECEMBER PROVIDER INFORMATION SESSIONS
Join the Early Learning Division (ELD) on Wednesday or Thursday to:
- Check-in about COVID-19 and Grants,
- Learn more about ELD and how we work, and
- Meet the ELD Executive Leadership Team.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 | 6 to 7 p.m.
All provider types. (Interpretation available)
Click here to register, and to join on Dec. 1.
Thursday, December 2, 2021 | 6 to 7 p.m.
Spanish language. (All types)
Click here to register, and to join on Dec. 2.
- December Provider Call Invite
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INTEREST SURVEY: WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
In the 2022-2023 program year (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023), the Early Learning Division (ELD) will expand the Preschool Promise (PSP) program. PSP currently serves approximately 3,795 children across Oregon, and the state is planning to serve up to 2,500 more.
To help determine the level of expansion, Oregon early learning and child care providers are invited to take the “Preschool Promise Provider Interest Survey.” This survey will ask questions about your program’s capacity and interest in Preschool Promise. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thank you, your input makes a difference by supporting access to high-quality preschool opportunities for Oregon’s families. Please note: This survey is not an offer or an application for funding.
Click here for more information.
DEADLINE: Monday, January 10, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. (PST).
Questions? Please contact ode.pspsurvey@ode.oregon.gov.
OUTDOOR MASK REQUIREMENTS LIFTED, NEW “TEST TO STAY” PROTOCOL
On November 23, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced changes to Oregon’s COVID-19 prevention measures. With less COVID-19 outbreaks and progress across the state, state health officials lifted the outdoor mask requirements for large public gatherings (effective immediately). ODE and OHA also announced a new protocol. The Test to Stay protocol “allows students to attend school in person as well as extracurricular activities (with certain restrictions), as long as they test negative.” For more information, read the news release: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORED/bulletins/2fd93cf
ELD BLOG: OREGON FIRST TO CREATE TRIBAL EARLY LEARNING HUB
In 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2055, creating the first Tribal Early Learning Hub within the current statewide early learning hub system. Valerie Switzler, chair of the Early Learning Division’s Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), is currently working with appointed TAC members to establish the Tribal Early Learning Hub.
“I’m so excited by this work,” said Switzler, longtime educator and member of the Warm Springs Tribe. “The new hub will help us build community that will honor our histories, languages, and cultures. It will help us bring our tribal families back to the center of early learning and care.”
Click here to read the blog story.
NOVEMBER IS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
In celebration and in honor of Native American Heritage Month, the Early Learning Division (ELD) gathered the resources listed below. The ELD also hosted “Native American Heritage Month Panel: Our Personal and Professional Experiences,” an event for ELD staff to engage in authentic conversations. Alyssa Chatterjee, Early Learning System Director, encouraged ELD staff to take action and support Indigenous communities in our daily work at the Division.
“It’s going to take all of us to actively reflect and think about how this work shows up every day for us,” said Chatterjee. “As we heard today on this panel, each individual and each Tribal Nation across the country holds unique experiences and brings forth various contributions to the Early Learning Division and to Oregon more broadly. I’m really looking forward to continuing to grow our understanding, our education, and how we can improve our services for the state of Oregon.”
Together, we can build inclusive and welcoming early learning environments that honor the experiences and cultures of American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) children and families.
- Native American Heritage Beyond the Month of November, PBS Teachers
- Amplify the Voices of Contemporary Native Peoples in Your Classroom, Illuminative
- Providing Deeper Context in Lessons on Indigenous Peoples, Edutopia
- Digital Resources for Schools, Teachers, Parents and Students, National Indian Education Association
- Native American Heritage Month, The Library of Congress
- Teach the Truth This Thanksgiving, Learning for Justice
- 8 Children’s Books to Celebrate Native Heritage, PBS Kids
- Celebrating Native American Heritage Month, Zero to Three
- Native Land
- A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgment, Native Governance Center
- Native American Heritage Month, Education Northwest
LEAD PREVENTION AND TESTING
The harmful impact of lead exposure is well known and documented. Lead is especially harmful to young children and pregnant women because of the impact on growth and brain development. Lead in water is most harmful to formula-fed infants. The most important step you can take is to prevent lead exposure before it occurs. Click below to download a fact sheet that covers the Oregon Administrative Rule for lead testing, requirements for testing and correcting, and helpful resources. For regular updates, visit oregonearlylearning.com/lead‐poisoning‐prevention/.