September 15 to October 15 is National Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Department of Early Learning and Care recognizes and honors the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society!
After November 3, 2023, Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) will open a waitlist because of increased demand and limited funding.
Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) helps families who are working, getting TANF, or in school pay for child care. ERDC has recently changed to work better for families. In the last few months, thousands of families have joined the program. After November 3, 2023, ERDC will open a waitlist because of increased demand and limited funding.
Should providers still sign up to accept ERDC families or complete a re-evaluation form since fewer families could be in the program? What are the benefits?
Child care providers interested in getting listed as an ERDC provider should still apply. Current ERDC providers should maintain their listing to ensure they are available for families eligible for ERDC.
- While the waitlist is in effect, certain families can still enroll in ERDC and they are families who likely need the support the most.
- By participating in the ERDC program, providers are supporting parents with low incomes to access affordable child care services, which contributes positively to their community.
- In addition, many families who are already enrolled in ERDC have not selected a provider.
211 and CCR&Rs will continue to direct families to ERDC providers.
What can I tell families about the ERDC waitlist?
If families are getting ERDC now, the waitlist will not affect them. They will continue to receive benefits. Additionally, some families can skip the waitlist once it begins.
- You can encourage families that think they may qualify for ERDC to apply before 11:59pm on November 3, 2023. After November 3, encourage the family to be screened for waitlist exemption eligibility, even if they don’t believe they will qualify. Families can visit Benefits.Oregon.gov or contact their local office to apply for ERDC.
- You can help families getting ERDC by reminding them to renew timely. Families can renew 45 days before their eligibility period ends.
- If you know a family that has ERDC but hasn’t chosen a provider, encourage them to call 211 or text the word “children” to 898211 for help connecting to a provider.
Other important information for families, including waitlist exemptions, can be found in the materials below. You can also visit our website at oregon.gov/DELC/ERDC.
ERDC Waitlist One Pager
English | Español/Spanish | Русский/Russian | 繁體中文/Chinese(Traditional) | Tiếng Việt/Vietnamese
ERDC Family Resource Guide
English | Español/Spanish | Русский/Russian | 繁體中文/Chinese(Traditional) | Tiếng Việt/Vietnamese
Statewide Household Survey Report
The Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Research Team has published the 2022 Statewide Household Survey Report. The report presents the results of the third statewide survey administered to parents and other caregivers of children aged 0 to 5. The survey was conducted from December 2022 through January 2023.
The findings provide important information about the needs for child care and the challenges to finding care currently faced by Oregon families.
You can visit the DELC website to read the full report. You can also review the executive summaries in multiple languages.