FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNING TRAINING
The new required training called “Foundations for Learning” is available to early care and education (ECE) providers. This is a free, two-hour training on child development that is available on the “Learning with OCCD” website in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Traditional Chinese. The deadline to complete this course is December 31, 2022. Listed below are frequently asked questions on this training.
Q: How was notice of this training shared with providers? How can I share with staff in my program?
Here is a link you can forward to staff: https://occd.educadium.com/ The Early Learning Division Office of Child Care sent letters and emails to all programs on July 29, 2022. Also, licensing specialists will follow up with programs as the deadline approaches.
Q: I’m experiencing technical difficulties with the training? What should I do?
If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact the Help Desk: occdtrainer@pdx.edu or 1-877-725-8535. They can help troubleshoot problems or suggest a different browser.
Q: Are recorded programs required to complete this training?
No, recorded programs are not required to complete the course. However, we invite recorded programs to explore this free training if you would like to learn more about child development.
Q: Will the certificate for this training automatically get sent to ORO or do we need to do send?
The certificate will automatically be sent to ORO. During this busy time, it could take up to 3 days before you see it in your MyORO account. https://my.oregonregistryonline.org/
For more information, visit https://occd.educadium.com/
NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK: OCTOBER 10 TO 14
National School Lunch Week is this week. Oregon Department of Education and Oregon School Boards Association are encouraging awareness of the importance of child nutrition programs.
Visit https://www.oregon.gov/…/Oregon-School-Lunch-Week.aspx for more information and resources.
OCTOBER IS HEAD START AWARENESS MONTH
Launched in 1965, Head Start programs promote children’s development through services that support early learning, health, and family well-being. Let’s celebrate Oregon Pre-Kindergarten (OPK) and Early Head Start programs!
National Head Start Association has resources for celebrating the month, including social media images and themes for each week: https://nhsa.org/head-start-awareness-month/ Consider also following Oregon Head Start Association for updates and resources.
Special thanks to the OPK and Early Head Start staff. We appreciate the difference you make for Oregon’s children and families!
SAVE THE DATE: ELD PROVIDER INFORMATION SESSIONS
Mark your calendar for the next events in our series of provider information sessions:
Wednesday, November 16 | 6 to 7 p.m.
All provider types. (Interpretation available)
Thursday, November 17 | 6 to 7 p.m.
All provider types. (Conducted in Spanish)
More details and a link to register coming soon.
Watch previous information sessions on the ELD’s Provider Information Sessions page.
OREGON’S LARGEST MANDARIN PRESCHOOL: CHINESE IMMIGRANTS PRESERVE CULTURE THROUGH EARLY EDUCATION
By Rose Wong | The Oregonian/OregonLive
“First founded as a free-standing preschool, Goodtime Chinese School has expanded to include pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and after-school services. Located in two large beige buildings across a street from each other, the school has 25 teachers and 200 students, 60 of them in preschool. Instruction time is split in equal parts English and Mandarin, the most prevalent Chinese language in the world, spoken by over a billion people.” >>> Read the full story
CENTRAL BACKGROUND REGISTRY GUIDELINES
We know that the delay in Central Background Registry (CBR) enrollment is affecting your ability to hire staff and is difficult for families. We apologize for that. We want to provide information about the work we are doing to get through the backlog as well as highlight some common issues that can slow down the process.
ELD is authorizing all overtime and working through background checks as quickly as possible. We currently process about 140 applications per day. However, we’ve received more than 2,000 applications since the start of September, far exceeding pre-pandemic enrollment applications.
Our intake team includes three people. We are also training OCC managers and staff—35 additional people—to process applications to assign them to the background team. Unfortunately, bringing on temporary new staff is not an option, nor is reverting to the emergency check process that was available during the pandemic.
We’ve investigated the reasons behind many of the delays we have been contacted about and determined that many can be minimized by following the suggestions below. Still, we apologize for these delays and are committed to working on improvements for the future.
Tips for understanding the CBR process when there are delays:
- CBR enrollments won’t expire if you submit your application up to 14 days before expiration date.
- Applications must be filled out completely and signed.
- Email and mailing address must be current and accurate.
- When you get your instructions for fingerprinting, make your appointment as quickly as possible.
- Use the FieldPrint code supplied by OCC.
- If you get requests for information from OCC, respond as quickly as possible.
- Follow all specific instructions.
Please note: Due to considerations of confidentiality, OCC is unable to give detailed information regarding an applicant’s CBR processing to employers and program directors.
If experiencing a delay in CBR processing, applicants should contact Office of Child Care Customer Service at 1-800-556-6616 or email occ.customerservice@ode.oregon.gov.