DELC Community Newsletter – News & Information

September 2026 Community Newsletter

September 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

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This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

It’s back to school time for many programs and families, and I’m getting ready to celebrate Maya’s first birthday! I’m not sure where the time has gone, but as we head into the fall there are a few things that are top of mind that I’d like to share with you.

Remembering the tremendous impact of Dolly Parton

First, I wanted to take a moment to talk about Dolly. Last week there was an outpouring of heartache around the news of the passing of Dolly Parton. Oregon’s flags were flown at half-staff in her honor, and folks around the world shared the impact Dolly had on them. Beyond her music, Dolly gave millions of children the gift of reading.

AT DELC, we were honored to partner together through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL), the book-gifting early literacy program recently expanded to be available in every county statewide. As a result, every child from birth until age five can receive one free, age-appropriate book delivered directly to their home each month, regardless of income ensuring children across Oregon can access free books that support their literacy and lay the foundation for lifelong learning. You can read more about this impactful work and watch Dolly’s video remarks about Oregon on the DPIL landing page.

Here in Oregon, Dolly’s dream now reaches every zip code – putting books in the hands of tens of thousands of young readers. Her belief was simple: every child deserves to fall in love with reading. We’re honored to continue to carry her legacy forward.

Caring Communities Tours

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining the Caring Communities Tour with the Marion & Polk region for a community engagement-focused day centered on partnerships and initiatives strengthening early childhood systems for children and families. Together, we spent the day exploring themes of community partnerships, workforce development, early literacy, and kindergarten readiness, and I left excited about what we can learn from our communities to inform state work.

A sincere thank-you to the many partners who shared their time and their work – including teams from Salem for Refugees, Child Care Resource & Referral of Marion, Polk & Yamhill, Willamette Education Service District, Marion Polk Early Learning Hub, and Willamette Health Council – for the meaningful conversations and your ongoing commitment to Oregon’s children and families.

Agency Request Budget

It’s finally here! The DELC 2027-29 Agency Request Budget (ARB) is now available on our website. While the revenue environment means that we aren’t asking for a lot, this is a wonderful opportunity to share more about who we are becoming as DELC and what we need to be successful. Next up, the Governor will consider all ARBs alongside available revenue as she develops the Governor’s Recommended Budget by December 1st.

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August 2026 Community Newsletter

August 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

Happy Summer! With August here, Summer is whizzing past. It’s hard to believe the days are getting shorter and many young children will soon be starting at a new program, moving up to a new classroom, or transitioning to kindergarten. Here are a couple of quick highlights about what we’re working on here at DELC. We’ve also gotten the opportunity to take part in a handful of community events recently that you can read more about featured in the posts below.

Agency Request Budget (ARB)

I know I have been writing about this a lot, but it’s a big deal! We are in the final weeks of assembling our Agency Request Budget, the first step in the 27-29 budget process. As a reminder, this biennium’s guidance was to produce revenue-neutral budget requests (Policy Option Packages – POPs), which means any new resources DELC needs must be paid for within our existing budget. The final ARB will be posted online by September 1st.

Oregon ELMS

Oregon Early Learning Management System (ELMS) is our new system replacing child care payments for ERDC and our child care licensing system. This system has been years in the making, and we’re heading into the final phases of development, testing, and training. July was a really big milestone month for this project, with User Acceptability Testing (UAT) happening with internal DELC staff. UAT is a critical checkpoint that allows us to identify bugs and defects with enough time to implement solutions prior to system launch. Keep an eye out for pre-registration information as we get ready to launch this system on October 14^th!

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July 2026 Community Newsletter

July 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

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 Delia Hernandez 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.

Children in blue graduation gowns walk in front of a barn‑themed backdrop decorated with balloons, while adults nearby guide and watch the ceremony.

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.

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June 2026 Community Newsletter

June 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

Spring is flying past and many graduation ceremonies are underway. As we head into warmer days ahead here are a few recent updates:

Budget Building

Oregon’s constitution requires a balanced budget, so agencies and elected leaders use quarterly revenue forecasts to develop budgets and make important financial decisions. The May revenue forecast was recently released, which showed a modest increase in state revenue. However, changes at the federal level will likely offset this relatively stable economic outlook in Oregon, and agencies are expecting continued strain on state resources. DELC is in the process of developing its Agency Request Budget (ARB) for the 2027-29 biennium, which will focus on maintaining core programs and operations amid limited revenue. If you would like to share your suggestions for the ARB, you can review our Community Webinar and share your thoughts via this survey open through 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 3.

Community Visits & Provider Appreciation

May was a busy month – the Governor signed a proclamation to officially recognize Provider Appreciation Day on May 8th and honor child care providers across the state for their contributions to families and the state’s economy. Celebrated on the Friday before Mother’s Day, this is an opportunity for us to recognize and appreciate the amazing work of child care providers across the state. Over the last month I had the pleasure of attending site visits including visits to the Family YMCA of Marion and Polk Counties and Salem Keizer School District Program at Kennedy Elementary School, where I got to see the countless ways that early educators are making a positive difference in the lives of young children. Other members of the Executive Leadership Team also recently had the pleasure of attending a visit on the Caring Communities Tour to the Northwest Region hosted by the Northwest Early Learning Hub. Getting out into the communities we serve and seeing the good work happening is always a moving and reenergizing experience, and I can’t wait to see more programs in the coming months.

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May 2026 Community Newsletter

May 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

I can’t believe April has come to a close! This was a month of connection. In addition to DELC’s annual All Staff, I was lucky to spend a several days on the road and visiting with partners.

Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs

I was able to kick off the month of April on the road, visiting with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs to visit their Immersion School and Early Childhood Education facilities. Dana Castano and I were treated to a lesson in the Ichishkin language, as well as a cultural dance with the preschoolers in the immersion program. We also got to see the beautiful facilities at the Early Childhood Education program, which houses Early Head Start, Head Start, and child care programming. It was a beautiful visit, and I so appreciate the Tribe for hosting us!

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Carey and I were able to close out the month visiting the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation with the entire Tribal Affairs Office: Lloyd Commander, Dana Castano, and Dori Houser. We got to visit Lil Turtle Retreat Daycare, which operates on Tribal land to serve the community, and provides care to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and after school care. DJ and Katlyn shared their commitment to this work and their vision for providing high quality services to the families in the their community.

We also got to visit the beautiful Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center to learn more about the Maternal Child Health supports offered by the Tribe. Ashleah, the Átawišamataš Program Manager and Makiesha, an Átawišamataš Program Home Visitor, shared the innovative ways they are expanding home visiting services through the Family Spirit program, the only evidence based home visiting program that centers Tribal culture, with their federal Tribal MIECHV grant. Thank you so much for hosting us!

Early Learning Hub Gathering

In addition to several Tribal visits, several of us were able to join the Early Learning Hub directors for their Spring Hub Gathering in Pendleton. I was able to spend half a day in conversation about what communities are facing, discuss how the Hubs are a critical player in helping the Legislature understand the importance of early childhood education, and think about creative ways to support initiatives like Every Child Belongs as we prepare for the final cohort to begin services. It was exciting to be able to share physical space and strategic thinking. Thank you for having me!

Transition Ahead

We are always changing and growing at DELC, and with that comes transitions. Our Deputy Director of Operations, Cooper Brown, recently announced that he will be leaving DELC for a position with the Oregon Youth Authority. Cooper joined us at a critical time in our agency’s development – we were still designing DELC and what a new Operations Division would look like. Since then, he has led the critical work that is foundational to everything DELC is responsible for as an agency. An interim Deputy Director of Operations will be announced within the next several weeks while we determine a permanent hiring plan. We will miss Cooper, and wish him well on his next adventure at OYA!

Carey’s Corner: What Am I Reading

I was reading the annual early childhood education workforce survey from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) that found across the country a particularly difficult year of tough choices given the rapidly rising costs for both providers and families and increases in other persistent challenges such as educator burnout and instability. These findings were in contrast to a recent presentation about Oregon’s Baby Promise program, that provides financial sustainability for infant and toddler care in a few regions. It also providing supports that not only improve the quality of care but ameliorate burnout. You can watch the presentation to learn about Baby Promise, hear from families and providers, and see positive data about its successes:

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April 2026 Community Newsletter

April 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

Greetings! Legislative session has wrapped up, cherry blossoms are in bloom, and we’re already thinking about next biennium. Here are some things that are top of mind for me:

2026 Legislative Session

The Legislative Session concluded with a bang! DELC received an additional $67 million in Federal Fund limitation – basically, permission – to use more of our Child Care and Development Funds (CCDF) to help address the budget needs of the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. This allows us to use more federal funds to close our projected budget gap for the program, if needed. We did receive a small reduction to our internal operating budget called Services and Supplies, or “S&S,” which pays for things like travel and trainings for DELC staff that should be absorbable for this biennium. Please keep an eye out for additional government affairs updates as we move into 2027 planning. We appreciate your partnership and support this past session!

Agency Request Budget

As I mentioned in my last Chats, when one session ends, another begins. While we are not quite halfway through the 2025-2027 biennium, DELC is already starting to plan for the 2027 legislative session that will set next biennium’s budget. As we’ve been hearing, we continue to head into a more constrained budget environment, which means you likely won’t see a lot of big-ticket budget requests coming from agencies unless we can find a way to pay for them. However, it’s important that we still engage our communities – including you all – in the development of our Agency Request Budget (ARB) so that we can more fully understand the needs of our system. Read on for more information about our ARB Prep Webinar on April 14th; your input is critical in these early stages of the process.

Recognizing the Early Years

I can’t sign off without mentioning that April is home to both the Week of the Young Child (April 11-17) and National Home Visiting Week (April 20-24)! This is the 55th anniversary of WOYC, and the second annual Home Visiting Week. I am excited to see the continued recognition of the importance of these early years alongside the critical workforces that support children and families across Oregon. Read on to learn more about this recognition and how you can celebrate alongside us at DELC.

Carey’s Corner: What Am I Reading

We are excited to see the news that the third and final installment of the Oregon Child Care Infrastructure Fund (CCIF) were awarded by Business Oregon this month, highlighted in this Oregon Capital Chronicle article. Since fall 2024, more than 180 child care infrastructure projects in every Oregon county and eight federally recognized tribal nations have received a portion of the $50 million fund. Funds awarded are designed to establish, expand, and improve child care facilities across Oregon. Across these three rounds of funding, almost 2,000 applications were submitted, requesting approximately $820 million. The strengths this fund is building, the demand it documented, along with two 2025 reports – First Children’s Finance’s Navigating the Early Years: Recommendations to Support Oregon Child Care Businesses in the Critical Years after Launch, and the Northwest Native Chamber’s Tribal Child Care Needs Assessment that included insights on the CCIF process – are efforts bringing insights to child care access and affordability issues facing our state.

On the national level, the National Children’s Facilities Network and the Reinvestment Fund released an analysis in 2022 describing findings from their mapping project of financial infrastructure that can support start-up funding to create new child care programs, working capital for business stabilization and maintenance, and growth capital for facility expansion and quality improvement. In addition, the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), a community development financial institution, ran a three-part blog series in Spring of 2025 showcasing innovative state strategies to fund early care and education (ECE) infrastructure and improve child care accessibility and affordability. Part 2 of the series highlights how California and Washington, D.C. leverage flexible capital to increase the supply and enhance the quality of child care. Their approaches are especially impactful for underbanked communities and undercapitalized ECE providers, where access to quality ECE services and capital is most limited.

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March 2026 Community Newsletter

March 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

I can’t believe it’s already time for another Chatterjee Chats! February has totally flown by – never under-estimate a legislative short session.

Legislative Session

Most of my time has been spent talking to legislators about DELC spending and needed policy changes. While we enter more constrained budget environments, one thing that continues to be clear is the recognition that families need support in accessing child care and early learning across the state.

Governor’s Early Childhood Care and Learning System Roundtable

The Governor announced a new roundtable on Tuesday, February 24^th that will focus on increasing access to child care and preschool services across the state. The Governor is a long-standing champion of early learning and previously named early learning as one of her three priorities for the 25-27 biennium. DELC is going to be a part of this roundtable, and our own Carey McCann and Dorothy Spence will be part of the staffing team. We are excited to work alongside the Governor’s Office as this ambitious and exciting work gets underway.

Carey’s Corner: What Am I Reading

We recently rediscovered the interactive and learning space – ECHOES – the Early Childhood History, Organizing, Ethos, and Strategy Project. It tells the many histories of the ECE system and spotlights the untold stories of the women who taught and cared for young children. ECHOES explores the voices and visions of women of color, immigrant women, and working-class women by offering archival materials, stories, papers, audio and video clips, historical timelines, and contemporary material. An example of the history it describes is how Black women organized to expand child care, kindergarten and professional development as part of broader efforts to advance racial and gender justice at the turn of the century.