A Message from leadership
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This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee
Happy Summer! I hope everyone is enjoying the longer days and warmer weather. There’s a lot going on at DELC, but here are a few things that are top of mind:
Community visits
June was filled with several visits as programs wrapped up their school year. Carey McCann and Kate Denison joined Representative Ricki Ruiz for a preschool graduation at the Early Childhood Center at Mt. Hood Community College, and Carey was able to make it to another graduation at the Preschool Promise site, Little Thinkers ABC Preschool in Hillsboro. It’s always so fun to see the littles in their caps and gowns as they get ready to head off to kindergarten! Thank you to our hosts and to all of the DELC staff who made these visits possible.
Bill signing
I also had the pleasure of joining Luciana Ribeiro and her son, along with Kate Gonsalves and a number of community partners at Governor Kotek’s bill signing for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Oregon program. A bonus for me – Maya got to join as well! We all got to hear First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson read Dolly’s book “Coat of Many Colors” and celebrate the official establishment of this program in Oregon. Already, more than 1/3 of Oregon’s children five and under have started receiving their monthly free book from the program. A big shout out to our literacy team here at DELC – Luciana, Lauren Signman, and Liz Hauck – who have helped get this program off the ground!
Executive Leadership Team
This month, we expanded the DELC Executive Leadership team to include key members of the Operations Division that touch all parts of the agency. Jared Choc, DELC’s Chief Information Officer, oversees IT services for the agency, and Dennis Mansfield, our new Chief Financial Officer, oversees budget development and administration.
DELC anniversary
It’s hard to believe DELC has been around for almost three years! Thank you for the tremendous support and partnership as we continue to support children, families, early care and education professionals, and communities to thrive. While there is more work ahead, we are excited for the progress we’ve made and what’s the come. Please keep an eye out for a special anniversary message next week as we celebrate this milestone.
Please keep an eye out for a special anniversary message next week as we celebrate this milestone.
Carey’s Reading Corner
At this month’s Oregon Early Learning Council meeting, I offered reflections on what we know about young children’s mental health and social-emotional development. While preparing for those remarks, I read a recent working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child offers key insights into the biology of stress, adaptation, and resilience, and practical guidance for policies that strengthen protective factors. The paper, Finding the Balance: Transforming How We Think About the Body’s Response to Stress in Early Childhood, highlights evidence that when families have access to reliable support and opportunities, they can provide the stable, predictable environment young children need to develop a stress response system that builds resilience. Both responsive caregiving and supportive communities can work together to strengthen this system that can promote young children’s development and well-being in the short term, better health across a longer lifespan, and full participation in thriving communities as adults.