A Message from the Director
Legislative session is keeping us on our toes! As we inch closer to Spring, I have some updates to share with you all.
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Our March Update
Monitoring Federal Impacts
At DELC, we continue to have access to federal funds and are actively coordinating with our Head Start programs to ensure continued access to their funding as well. As of March 3, all programs are accessing funding.
In addition to monitoring funds, we have established an internal Incident Response Team to track and analyze any new federal guidance and the potential impact to DELC. This is a new structure being led by our Chief Auditor as part of our broader Enterprise Risk Management framework to identify, assess, and respond to risks that may impact DELC’s strategic objectives.
DELC leadership has also reiterated our unwavering commitment to proactively ensuring Sanctuary laws are adhered to. As we prepare for more potential changes in the enforcement of federal immigration policies, we know community members are eager for resources and information. In case you missed it, we sent out a special message with resources. You can view it on our website: Oregon Sanctuary Laws & Early Learning Resources.
Maintaining our Commitments
DELC remains committed to ensuring all children, families, early care and education providers, and communities are supported and empowered to thrive. That means ensuring children are cared for in inclusive, quality child care settings that meet their needs, providing trainings and resources in a variety of languages, and ensuring access to services across all communities.
Legislative Session
This legislative session continues to move quickly! There is a lot of interest in early learning and child care from the legislature, and many DELC subject matter experts continue to testify before committees each week. Starting March 3, we are kicking off our big budget presentation. This is 4 days of DELC presentation and public testimony to talk about the functions, work, and goals of DELC. We will be focusing on our work in the context of three primary goals:
- Keep kids healthy and safe in care
- Increase access to care & set foundational early literacy skills
- Provide strong customer service and be accountable for public funds
Bills are still trickling in, and the next big deadline is March 21 for bills be posted for a work session. Until then, we will continue to be responsive to requests and keep an eye on our bills.