A letter from the Director:
Recognizing the importance of Labor Day and the Early Childhood Education Workforce
Dear Partners,
This Friday is September 1st, which marks two months since the official launch of the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC). Friday is also the start of Labor Day weekend, an important time to recognize Oregon’s child care professionals who have a great responsibility to care for and educate our children in their earliest years.
DELC was created to unify and strengthen Oregon’s early learning and care system. The strength of this system is largely held by the child care and early educator workforce who provide critical care and support to children and families across Oregon.
In Oregon, 60% of children under age 6 have both parents in the workforce, making child care the workforce that supports all other workforces. When parents lack access to quality child care, our economy is affected. Fifty-four percent of Oregon employers say that access to child care impacts their ability to hire and/or retain employees, and 33% of businesses felt that child care issues factored “a great deal” into loss of productivity for employees. As a result, Oregon is estimated to have lost $1.4B in revenue due to the lack of infant and toddler child care alone.
However, child care continues to be an under-resourced and undervalued profession. Our latest data shows that child care workers earn an average of $13.00-18.00/hour, and often do not have access to benefits like healthcare, retirement or sick leave. In a recent survey, 26% of Early Childhood Education providers ranked at the level of anxiety that could indicate they need to get screened for clinical diagnosis, a rate more than 5 times that in the general population.
In our efforts to strengthen Oregon’s early learning system, DELC will continue to develop a cohesive professional learning system, grow the overall workforce and reduce barriers to child care while maintaining health and safety for children in care.
As we head into Labor Day weekend, remember the workforce that helps you get to work and thank the child care worker or early educator in your life.
– Alyssa Chatterjee
Give us your feedback. Join our Rules Advisory Committee!
The Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) will create a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to gather valuable feedback on a new rule set that will apply to all child care facilities. This rule set is known as “General Rules for All Child Care Facilities”.
The application deadline is September 22, 2023.
You will be compensated for your time!
There will be three RAC Meetings. Each meeting will be 90 minutes long.
The selected group will be polled for the best meeting dates.
DELC would like to invite members of the following groups to apply to participate in the RAC:
- Subsidized Child Care Providers
- Registered Family Child Care Providers
- Certified Family Child Care Providers
- Representatives from child care provider unions
- Child Care Center Directors/Representatives
- School Age Center Program Coordinators and Program Leaders
- Parents/family members of children in programs
- Early Learning Hub representatives
- Tribal Nation representatives
- Representatives from culturally specific organizations
- Child Care Resource & Referral representatives
For more details visit the DELC rule making page General Rules for All Child Care Facilities Committee section. [https://www.oregon.gov/delc/about-us/Pages/rule-making.aspx]
Or visit the application in your preferred language and apply now:
Promotional Fliers for this RAC
English | Spanish | Russian
Chinese | Vietnamese
The Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Program (ECSEPP) extended its deadline for regional service provider applications.
The deadline to apply to for the ECSEPP regional service provider grant has been extended from September 15 to October 6.
What is a Regional Service Provider?
A Regional Service Provider is an organization that provides Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) services to Early Care and Education Providers and coordinates IECMHC services with other early childhood technical assistance providers, to promote Early Care and Education Provider access to resources, training, and other technical assistance opportunities.
Applicants can choose from two options when applying to become a Regional Service Provider.
Option 1 (Planning Grant):
Applicants who are interested but may need a period of time for planning have the option to apply for a planning grant.
Option 2 (Implementation Grant):
Applicants who believe they are ready to begin implementation of equity-centered IECMHC have the option to apply for an implementation grant.
Prior experience implementing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is NOT required!
- The Early Learning Council is looking for five new members to shape early childhood policy in Oregon and we need your help in getting the word out! These positions are appointed by Governor Kotek and individuals who are interested are encouraged to apply. This Council ensures that our state-funded early childhood programs and investments are coordinated in a way that is accessible to children and families. We hope you’ll consider either applying yourself or sharing this with individuals who may be interested. Read more about this opportunity …
- The application to be on the Rule Advisory Committee for Certified School-Age Centers closes September 15. Learn More on the DELC website. Also, here are promotional fliers for this RAC to share with your community English | Spanish.