DELC Community Newsletter – News & Information

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.

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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: