DELC Community Newsletter – News & Information

November 2026 Community Newsletter

November 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 fall! I can’t believe another month has come to a close. I hope you all have enjoyed the unusually warm October weather as we finally head into some rain. I know it made our pumpkin patch trip much easier to plan! Below are a few things I wanted to highlight.

Head Start Awareness Month

Governor Kotek proclaimed October as Head Start Awareness Month. In honor of Head Start’s legacy, DELC staff visited with Suey Linzmeier, who is the executive director of Head Start of Yamhill County. You can read the full press release and watch Suey’s incredible and heartfelt Head Start story by visiting the DELC Blog .

Early Childhood Priorities

Governor Kotek met with early childhood leaders and parents to discuss the need for expanded access to infant-toddler care and universal preschool. Our Policy and Strategy Director, Carey McCann, and I were invited to listen to the conversation and tour Harmony Montessori, an early childhood program that currently participates in Employment Related Day Care, Preschool Promise, and Multnomah County’s Preschool for All. This is exciting and ambitious work led by the Governor’s Office and the Early Childhood Care and Learning Systems Roundtable, and DELC will continue to inform the process through staffing and through Carey’s role as a Roundtable member.

Champions for Children

I was able to join DELC staff at Children’s Institute’s 2026 Champions for Children luncheon. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time in a room full of people who believe in and support early learning and care. Chief Executive Officer Kali Thorne Ladd reminded us of the importance of early relational health and increasing access to resources for all children and families, noting that this information “should not be reserved for the privileged few, but available to all Oregonians.” It was an inspiring afternoon that helped reground me in the important work we do everyday at DELC!

ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference, 2026

This year the ZERO TO THREE LEARN conference was hosted in Portland and provided a wonderful opportunity for the early education community to learn, connect, strategize, and gain new insights. Several DELC teams sent representatives from across the agency to attend and present on panels. Teams connected with other early learning providers to find better ways to support young children and families. Practical tools were shared at dozens of sessions focused on topics such as infant and early childhood mental health, artificial intelligence, home visiting, and workforce well-being. The keynote by Steve Burns focused on strategies to prevent burnout and the importance of early learning practitioners taking time to care for themselves while caring for others.

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DELC on Social: October Highlights

As we wrap up October, we’re taking a moment to look back at some highlights we shared on our social media channels throughout the month. If you haven’t already, we invite you to follow us on social media!

Let’s take a moment to look back at some highlights we shared on our social media channels throughout the month of October. If you haven’t already, we invite you to follow us on social media! It’s one of the easiest ways to stay up to date on child care resources, early learning news, and opportunities to get involved.

🔗 Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

Head Start students and teachers playing on a bright blue mat.

Oregon is celebrating the legacy and impact of Head Start. Today, Governor Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating October as Head Start Awareness Month.

DELC and the Oregon Head Start Association honor the enduring legacy and vital work of Head Start in the lives of young children, families, and early learning professionals. Read the full press release.

The 2026 Market Price & Supply Study is open! Child care providers, this is your chance to help state and national leaders understand what child care really costs in Oregon and where care is available.

You only need to do ONE of these:

Update your Find Child Care Oregon (FCCO) program profile
Complete the MPS Study survey
Contact your regional CCR&R for other options

Open through December 31.

Learn more at: Learn more at https://findchildcareoregon.com/home/providers/

Calling all early childhood professionals! We’re updating Oregon’s Early Learning and Kindergarten Guidelines with the Oregon Department of Education, and we want to hear from the people who use them every day. Join a virtual session, review the proposed updates, and get a stipend for your time. Learn more and sign up here.

Today we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, observed in Oregon since 2021. At DELC, honoring Tribal sovereignty and supporting Indigenous children and families is central to our work in early learning.

Explore resources from our Office of Tribal Affairs and the Oregon Tribal Early Learning Alliance: https://www.oregon.gov/delc/about-us/pages/otela.aspx…

Last week, the Caring Communities Tour spent two days in the South Coast region, visiting Coos Bay and North Bend.

Our team toured The Playcademy , a Baby Promise micro-center, and Little Pirates, a Preschool Promise classroom at Madison Elementary. We also met with the Early Learning Hub Governance Council, sat down with local employers to talk about child care needs, and learned from partners working on coordinated navigation for families.

A big thank-you to South-Central Early Learning Hub, CARE Connections CCR&R Coos/Curry County, South Coast Head Start, Coos Bay School District, and every partner who shared their time with us. Your work is making a real difference for kids and families on the South Coast.

October 2026 Community Newsletter

October 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

Another month has flown by – Maya just turned one and I am excited to head into fall with lots of work ahead. Here are a few things that are top of mind for me.

Community Baby Shower

Treasurer-Steiner-and-Director-Chatterjee

This month I visited a community baby shower in McMinnville with my family, it was wonderful being able to connect with local families as well as the local Early Learning Hub. A part of the visit included supporting State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner as she announced a $100 Baby Grad bonus for parents who open an education savings account before their child’s first birthday. The event provided families with resources, education, and infant essentials to help give children the strongest possible start in life.  

For more information about the Baby Grad $100 incentive, families can visit embarksavings.com/baby-grad to learn more about Embark, Oregon’s official 529 education savings program.

Oregon ELMS Phased Launch

Thank you for your continued partnership as Oregon prepares to launch the Oregon Early Learning Management System (Oregon ELMS). The new online platform will make it easier and faster for child care providers to access information, complete paperwork, get updates, and more.  Providers told us they need more time to prepare, and our system partners asked for more time to learn the new platforms so they can support you along the way. In order to be responsive to this feedback, we are moving to a phased launch of the system. DELC staff and some system partners will start to use select features of Oregon ELMS this fall. System partners and child care providers received an announcement about this change directly this month.

Head Start Awareness Month

This month is Head Start Awareness Month! Governor Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating October as Head Start Awareness Month. Head Start has been serving children and families across the country since 1965. Recognizing the tremendous impact of the program, Oregon created in 1987 the Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten program (Oregon Prekindergarten at the time) to extend the federal Head Start model with state funds. Now, thousands of families are benefiting from these services across the state. For more information, read the press release.   

Agency Request Budget

DELC has submitted the 2027-29 Agency Request Budget (ARB) for the agency. All agencies were required to submit this by August 31st as a part of the starting point in the broader budget process for all state agencies. This was a difficult budget to develop, given that, statewide budget instructions required agencies to submit revenue neutral requests. This means that any new request proposed by state agencies must be funded using existing revenue. This is the first time in over 10 years this frame has been used, due to statewide revenue challenges and federal conditions. DELC focused on identifying foundational supports essential to effectively serve the early learning and care sector.  All content within the DELC ARB are proposals and not final decisions. To review  the DELC 2027-29 ARB, please visit the DELC website.

Legislative Days

September Legislative Days were held from September 8-10 this year. The legislature announced the formation of a new committee – the House Early Childhood Committee – in addition to the Senate Early Childhood and Behavioral Health Committee. DELC got the opportunity to provide some grounding context on the history of DELC to the House on September 8^th, before sharing some information on Child Care Resource & Referrals on September 9^th. To watch the committee recordings you can visit OLIS: Senate Early Childhood & House Early Childhood.

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DELC on Social: September Highlights

As we wrap up September, we’re taking a moment to look back at some highlights we shared on our social media channels throughout the month. If you haven’t already, we invite you to follow us on social media! It’s one of the easiest ways to stay up to date on child care resources, early learning news, and opportunities to get involved.

🔗 Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube

Today is Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance, reflection, and resilience. We honor the Indigenous children who were taken from their families and sent to boarding and residential schools designed to erase their languages, cultures, and identities.

As an agency dedicated to young children and families, DELC has a responsibility to understand the intergenerational trauma these systems caused and to make sure our work supports healing, equity, and justice. Honoring Tribal sovereignty is one of our top priorities.

We invite you to take time today to learn this history, reflect on its ongoing impact, and consider how we can each help build a future where every child is honored, protected, and empowered.

Last week, the Caring Communities Tour traveled to the South Central region for two days in Klamath Falls, Myrtle Creek, Roseburg, and Sutherlin.

Our team visited Klamath Early Childhood Development Center, Klamath Community College’s new campus child care center, Baby Llamas Learning Path, Wildflower Preschool and Child Care, Umpqua Wonders Academy, and Happy Hearts. Along the way, we heard about new centers opening, programs growing from family child care into larger centers, and the barriers and wins that come with that growth.

A big thank-you to our partners at Child Care Resource & Referral of Douglas, Lake, and Klamath Counties, the South Central Early Learning Hub, and every program that opened its doors to us. Your work is making a real difference for kids and families in Southern Oregon.

What a sweet day celebrating new and growing families at the bilingual community baby shower in McMinnville!

We were honored to be part of it. Opening an Embark account before your baby’s first birthday gets you a $100 Baby Grad bonus toward their future. Learn more: embarksavings.com/go-far

On July 28th, DELC was honored to host the Oregon Tribal Early Learning Alliance (OTELA) for its first-ever in-person gathering at our Salem office.

OTELA members, DELC staff, and partners came together to help shape the first draft of Oregon’s Tribal Early Learning Plan — a statewide plan for Native American and Alaska Native children, birth to eight. The day centered shared voices, Tribal sovereignty, and a collective vision for culturally and linguistically responsive early learning across Oregon.

We’re grateful for the thoughtfulness and care each member brought to this work, and we look forward to the partnership ahead.

Learn more about OTELA and DELC’s commitment to Tribal sovereignty by visiting: https://www.oregon.gov/delc/about-us/pages/otela.aspx

Oregon child care providers, help shape how the state understands the true cost of care. DELC is partnering with Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies to update Oregon’s child care cost model, which helps inform ERDC payment rates. Join a provider input session in your region (or a statewide one) to share what it really takes to offer quality care and stay in business. Sessions are also available for license-exempt providers.

Learn more and register here: https://www.prenatal5fiscal.org/oregon

Imagine dropping your little one off at childcare just steps from your front door. DELC’s Director Alyssa Chatterjee was interviewed at the new Elm Park development about bringing childcare into affordable housing, so more Oregon families have care close to home.

September 2026 Community Newsletter

September 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

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.