The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) will be amending Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) for the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. DELC is facilitating a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to gather feedback on proposed amended rules and identify supports that may be needed to implement the amended ruleset.
The ERDC rule changes to be addressed at this time include changes to:
- 414-175-0006: Authorized Representatives: The term “beneficiary” is being replaced with “caretaker” in ERDC rules for consistency, aligning with the definition in OAR 414-175-0002 and other related rules.
- 414-175-0015: Eligibility Group Structure: The sentence “Each individual in the household group who applies for benefits is an applicant” is being removed from this rule to align with the definitions of caretaker and applicant in OAR 414-175-0002.
- 414-175-0023: Requirement to Establish a Child Care Need and Hours Authorizations: The change clarifies that distance learning hours are covered only for medical related concerns affecting the child, or household and family members the child has frequent contact with. Additionally, the change will provide clarity and detail on what is considered a medical related concern. This restores language removed during a COVID-specific rule repeal and broadens it to include all medical concerns.
- 414-175-0050: Income Limits and Copay Amounts: ERDC income limits and copay tiers are being updated for 2025 to align with changes in Federal Poverty Levels (FPLs) and State Median Income. Adding language to clarify that initial income limit standards must be met to determine eligibility before ongoing or exit income limit standards apply.
- 414-175-0052: Concurrent and Duplicate Program Benefits: This rule is being updated to remove incorrect language about being part of an OSIP-AB (Oregon Supplemental Income Program – Aid to the Blind) Benefit Group, which was mistakenly included when the ERDC program transferred from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) to DELC.
- 414-175-0055: Decision Notices: Updated to remove language about Intentional Program Violation (IPV) notices, as ERDC does not cite families for IPVs. It also replaces “caregiver” with “caretaker” for consistency and add new language allowing families to request changes to benefits verbally with a recorded signature, instead of requiring a written 457D form.
DELC would like to invite members of the following groups to apply to participate in the RAC:
- Families
- Child Care Providers, including those who accept subsidy
- Child Care Provider Union representatives
- Child Care Resource & Referral representatives
- Early Learning Hub representatives
- Representatives from advocacy organizations
- Representatives from culturally specific, community-based organizations
- Tribal Nation representatives
RAC Meeting Date:
- February 4, 2025 from 6PM-7PM.
- The meeting will be virtual.
Application: Open until January 24, 2025 at 5 PM. The application links are available below.
- Application in English
- Aplicación en español
- 中文申请
- Ứng dụng bằng tiếng Việt
- Приложение на русском языке
REIMBURSMENT Participants will be reimbursed for their time and expertise.
Additional questions?
For questions about participation, please contact Jennifer Heras 503-569-0546 or at jennifer.j.heras@delc.oregon.gov.
Click below to view other Child Care Update articles
- Register to Attend DELC’s June Provider Information Session
- Communities across Oregon recognize essential contributions of child care providers
- Apply to Join DELC’s Liability Insurance Workgroup
- New Temporary Rules on Inactive Status and Administrative Closures
- Oregon ELMS: Project Update and What’s Coming Next