Press Releases – Page 2 – News & Information

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Celebrates Full Statewide Access to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 6, 2025

Contact:

Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292

delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Celebrates Full Statewide Access to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

The Imagination Library of Oregon is now available across all 36 counties and zip codes

SALEM, ORE. – The Imagination Library of Oregon welcomed the Lower Umpqua Library in Reedsport as the 57^th Local Program Partner, making it possible for families in Reedsport and Gardiner to register children under 5 to receive free books by mail each month. To make this coverage possible, the Lower Umpqua Library partnered with the Reedsport Rotary Foundation and was funded by a generous grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.

“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library isn’t just about books – it’s about fostering relationships between caring adults and children that spark the joy of reading at an early age,” Governor Tina Kotek emphasized. “This program is essential to improve our literacy outcomes and helps make sure every Oregon student, regardless of where they live, has the opportunity to develop a love of reading before they ever step into a classroom.”

The Imagination Library is a book gifting program developed by The Dollywood Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Dolly Parton. Since launching in 1995, the Imagination Library has become the preeminent, international early childhood literacy program. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by mailing books each month to children (0-5 yrs. old), free of charge to families, through funding shared by Dolly, the State of Oregon, and local community partnerships.

“This is an incredible milestone. The goal of the statewide expansion was to ensure that children ages 0-5 in every zip code in Oregon have access to books. With the addition of Reedsport, that goal has been achieved,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “By expanding the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, we’re helping more young children across the state build early literacy skills and develop a lifelong love of reading – no matter where they live or what their background may be.”

During the 2023 legislative session, under Senate Bill 5506, $1.7 million was appropriated to DELC to help administer and expand the program statewide. Today, the program is already having a significant reach and impact. Currently, 65,000 Oregonian children are enrolled in the Imagination Library, which translates to approximately 30% of all children under the age of five.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to fall in love with reading, no matter their zip code or family income,” said Majority Leader Ben Bowman, who successfully championed the library going statewide. “The Imagination Library is one of the most effective tools we have to close early literacy gaps and invest in Oregon’s future.”

Primary caregivers of children ages 0-5 can sign up to receive a new book each month by mail at no cost to families. Children can be registered as early as birth and will receive books monthly until their 5^th birthday month. “It’s a wonderful way for families to build routines and cherished memories together,” said Imagination Library of Oregon, Community Engagement Coordinator, Kaylee Chrystal.

To learn more about the Imagination Library, or to enroll your child, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com/oregon. To view Dolly Parton’s video remarks from the Oregon launch, please visit the DELC website.

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care
The Department of Early Learning and Care’s mission is to foster coordinated, culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals. More information about DELC is available at Oregon.gov/DELC. You can also connect with DELC on Facebook or sign up for news alerts and updates.

About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Community Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five – at no cost to families. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More®.
The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Acknowledges the Week of the Young Child

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) joins partners across the country in celebrating the Week of the Young Child.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 7, 2025

Contact:

Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292

delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Acknowledges the
Week of the Young Child

SALEM, ORE. – The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) joins partners across the country in celebrating the Week of the Young Child. In Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating the Week of the Young Child as April 5 – 11, 2025. The annual event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children helps to build awareness about young children and to recognize the early learning professionals and programs meeting those needs.

DELC leadership, alongside the Executive Director of the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, kicked off the start to the week with a visit to a local child care program in Silverton. The visit included a tour of a Preschool Promise classroom of young children ages 3-5 years old.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the Week of the Young Child across Oregon. This is a chance for us to recognize this critical time in a child’s life and the transformational impact early learning and child care has on Oregon communities. Child care and early learning programs and the dedicated early learning professionals who do this work every day create a pivotal space for children to develop curiosity, joy, and a love of learning – providing a strong start before they enter the doors of kindergarten, “ said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “We are grateful to Governor Tina Kotek for recognizing the Week of the Young Child and for elevating the importance of the earliest years for children and families.”

Each day during the celebratory week, there will be multiple themes highlighting early learning, young children, their families, and early learning professionals. DELC is currently spotlighting these daily themes and information over social media. To share pictures and stories about your family use the hashtag #WOYC25 and tag DELC’s social media pages.

For more information on Week of the Young Child®, visit naeyc. Learn more about the importance of early childhood education in Oregon: Oregon.gov/DELC.

###

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

The Department of Early Learning and Care’s mission is to foster coordinated, culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals. More information about DELC is available at Oregon.gov/DELC. You can also connect with DELC on Facebook or sign up for news alerts and updates.

Child Care Infrastructure Fund Round Two Accepting Applications on March 26

Oregon’s Child Care Infrastructure Fund is accepting applications for $15 million in grants to improve child care facilities. The application portal opens March 26, 2025, closing April 30, 2025.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 21, 2025

Child Care Infrastructure Fund Round Two Accepting Applications on March 26

$15 million will be awarded for infrastructure projects at Oregon child care facilities.

Business Oregon is pleased to announce that the application portal for Round Two of the Child Care Infrastructure Program will be opening on March 26, 2025. The Child Care Infrastructure Program, created in response to Oregon’s House Bill 3005 (2023), provides critical financial assistance for infrastructure activities that support child care facilities. Business Oregon is working with the Department of Early Learning and Care, other state agencies, and private and non-profit entities to implement this grant and loan program.

With $50 million in lottery bonds approved by the Oregon Legislature at the recommendation of Governor Tina Kotek, the Child Care Infrastructure Fund is dedicated to improving and expanding the spaces where Oregon’s youngest minds learn and grow, ultimately making a significant impact on children, families, and communities statewide.

The Child Care Infrastructure Program directly supports Governor Kotek’s Education and Early Learning priority by expanding and improving child care infrastructure so that children in Oregon have the opportunity to thrive in their early learning environments and families are empowered with the child care support they need to succeed.

“Affordable, accessible child care is an essential support for working families,” Governor Kotek said. “The first round of child care funding is showing results for Oregon families across the state, serving children with a wide range of needs. Let’s keep going.”

The first round of Child Care Infrastructure Fund funding awarded a total of $10 million in grants to 64 child care businesses in 29 different Oregon counties for eligible projects involving fixed, immovable assets including new construction, repairs, renovations, modernizations, retrofitting, property acquisition and planning projects. Learn more about the awarded projects at www.oregon.gov/biz/.

“Access to affordable, safe, and high-quality child care is necessary to support the needs of Oregon families and our state’s workforce,” said Sophorn Cheang, Director of Business Oregon. “The need for these grants is clear. In the first round, we received 736 applications requesting a total of $280 million in funding. We were only able to award $10 million of those requests. So, we are looking forward to awarding another $15 million in Round Two and even more later this year to continue to support these critical projects.”

This spring, another $15 million will be distributed to awardees in the second round of funding. The application portal for the second round of funding opens on March 26, 2025 and closes on April 30, 2025. Access to the portal starting at noon on March 26 can be found on the Business Oregon Child Care Infrastructure webpage at www.oregon.gov/biz/.

“This second round of grants will provide resources to expand high quality child care and preschool options for families who desperately need care,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “Child care and infrastructure are intimately linked. We know that when we remove barriers in locating, developing, and expanding child care facilities, we are creating economic opportunities and care options to Oregon workers to help grow the economy and support children and families to thrive.”

An additional $25 million in Child Care Infrastructure Funding will become open for applications later in 2025. These rounds of funding will continue to address the demands of child care providers, ensuring that every dollar invested makes a meaningful difference in the availability and quality of child care services throughout Oregon.

If you have questions or need technical assistance completing the Child Care Infrastructure Program application, please contact the CCIF Technical Assistance providers below:

Northwest Native Chamber

Website: Child Care Infrastructure Fund – Northwest Native Chamber

Email: ccifsupport@nwnc.org

First Children’s Finance

Website: First Children’s Finance – Oregon

Email: InfoOregon@FirstChildrensFinance.org

Media Contact: Amber Nabors, amber.nabors@biz.oregon.gov

###

Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, invests in Oregon businesses, communities, and people to promote a globally competitive, diverse, and inclusive economy. The agency’s services span rural community development and infrastructure financing; business retention, expansion and recruitment; export promotion and international trade; investments in industry research and development and entrepreneurship; small business assistance; and support for arts and cultural organizations. Learn more at biz.oregon.gov.

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

Segunda Ronda del Fondo de Infraestructura para el Cuidado Infantil Download

Press Release: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Celebrates Head Start Awareness Month

Governor Tina Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating October as Head Start Awareness Month. The month is celebrated annually across the country as a way to honor the legacy and current work of Head Start in positively impacting the lives of communities, families, and young children.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct 1, 2024

Contact:
Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292
delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Celebrates Head Start Awareness Month

SALEM, ORE. – Governor Tina Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating October as Head Start Awareness Month. The month is celebrated annually across the country as a way to honor the legacy and current work of Head Start in positively impacting the lives of communities, families, and young children. The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) joins in celebrating the transformative impact of Head Start and Early Head Start during Head Start Awareness Month.

“October is a special month for early childhood education advocates, families, and system partners. This is a time when we elevate the strong historical roots of Head Start along with the current impact,” said Alyssa Chatterjee, DELC Director. “Head Start Awareness Month allows us to draw awareness not only to the impactful work of Head Start but also to the high quality services, wrap around supports, and early childhood education helping families thrive.”

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) administers the Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten program. OPK is modeled after the successful federal Early Head Start and Head Start program and serves children from prenatal to five years old. Since OPK’s establishment in 1987, tens of thousands of children and their families have benefited from the program.

Programming is available across all 36 Oregon counties. Director Chatterjee traveled to NeighborImpact’s Head Start site today in Redmond to tour the Walker Center. The visit included the new Early Head Start classroom. The visit comes during fall “Back to school,” an important time when a young child attends preschool or joins a new class and Director Chatterjee was pleased to tour the center and help launch the academic year off to a welcoming start.

Later this week, agency representatives will join the quarterly Head Start Association Director’s Meeting. The Oregon Head Start Association (OHSA) seeks to empower and advocate for Head Start programs through professional development and training, peer support, scholarships, posting employment opportunities, and advocating at the state and national levels.

“Every month, and especially this month, we are thrilled to elevate all the many ways that Head Start is a strong promoter of quality programs for children and families as they prepare for life-long success,” said Nancy Perin, OHSA Executive Director. “The impact is clear –children enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start programs are more likely to have positive educational outcomes and improved social, emotional, and behavioral development

Education is only one component of the impactful work of Head Start. In addition to early childhood education, Head Start programs support family well-being by connecting families to medical and dental care while helping parents achieve family goals, such as housing stability, continued education, and financial security. Oregon also offers Early Head Start and Head Start supports for children from Migrant and Seasonal working families along with additional Tribal Head Start programs administered by the federal government.

These free, high-quality early care and education services and wrap around supports are available to families including pregnant people and expectant families. Eligible participants include children aged birth through five whose families meet the federal low-income guidelines whose incomes are at or below the federal poverty guidelines or who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program public assistance services. Other eligible participants include children who are in the foster care system or experiencing homelessness. Some families with special circumstances are also eligible to receive support regardless of family income status. To watch a video by the Office of Head Start Director Khari M. Garvin elevating resources of services and Head Start Awareness click here. To find a head start center visit: Head Start Center Locator | ECLKC (hhs.gov)

###

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

Press Release: Child Care Infrastructure Fund Program Accepting Applications

State Opens First Competitive Grant Application for Infrastructure
Investments in Child Care Facility Establishment, Expansion and Improvements.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 15, 2024

Contact:
Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292
delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Care Infrastructure Fund Program Accepting
Applications

State Opens First Competitive Grant Application for Infrastructure
Investments in Child Care Facility Establishment, Expansion and Improvements.

SALEM, ORE. – Today the portal for the Child Care Infrastructure Program opened and began accepting applications. While Oregon has been a leader in investing in early learning, previous investments have been limited to services. These grants will finance the development of new and existing early learning and child care facilities. The competitive application and Fund is administered by Business Oregon and is the first statewide capital investment to provide financial assistance for a variety of child care infrastructure development opportunities. The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) is providing technical assistance through First Children’s Finance and Northwest Native Chamber.

“We know that Oregon is a child care desert and many families struggle to find affordable, quality child care that meets their needs. At the same time, we also hear from early learning providers facing major barriers in locating or developing adequate physical spaces to set up child care facilities or to expand programs,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “We’re grateful to Oregon legislators and Governor Tina Kotek for having the foresight to launch the Child Care Infrastructure Fund which will help to expand access to child care and preschool facilities across the state.”

In 2023, Oregon legislators passed HB 3005 which allotted $50 million in lottery bonds to Business Oregon to administer the Child Care Infrastructure Fund. Investments in infrastructure are critical to expanding early learning and care opportunities and to providing the care Oregon workers need to grow the economy. Without access to care, parents and caregivers, particularly women, leave the workforce, which has implications for Oregon’s economy.

There are many longstanding challenges to finding suitable early learning facility space including complex zoning and permitting processes. It can be equally challenging to secure capital to make improvements or maintain facilities. Early learning providers are often small business owners, many of whom are eager to expand to meet the growing need for child care in communities across the state.

With this new funding opportunity, providers will be supported in the grant application process. DELC has contracted with Northwest Native Chamber and First Children’s Finance to assist with technical assistance including supports for culturally specific providers and Tribes. This first round of funding will award a total of $10 million in grants to selected applicants. Award decisions will be announced in November of 2024. There will be a second opportunity to apply for funding later in the winter and will award $15 million followed by an additional $25 million available in 2025.

The application portal for the Child Care Infrastructure Program opens on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. and closes on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 4:59 p.m. Access to the portal can be found on the Business Oregon Child Care Infrastructure webpage at www.oregon.gov/biz. To view the information webinar please visit the CCIF landing page of the DELC website. If you have questions when preparing the grant or completing the Child Care Infrastructure Program application, please contact one of the Technical Assistance providers below:

First Children’s Finance
Point of contact: Heidi Hagel-Braid
Email: infoOregon@firstchildrensfinance.org
Northwest Native Chamber
Point of contact: Amber Faist
Email: CCIFSupport@nwnc.org

###

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

Press Release: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Marks One Year Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 1, 2024

Contact:
Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292
delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Marks One Year Anniversary

New Agency Reflects on Progress and Evolves Strategies to Meet Early Care Needs

SALEM, ORE. –The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) is celebrating a successful first year as one of Oregon’s newest state agencies.

“This anniversary represents the first of many milestones,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “I’m overjoyed to see how far DELC has come. It is an honor to support young children and families across the state.”

Standing up a new agency devoted to children in their earliest years kicked off last July when staff announced they had successfully surpassed all three transition goals. Over the course of the year, staff administered programs that successfully delivered assistance to tens of thousands of Oregonians across the state with high quality programs such as Baby Promise, Early Childhood Equity Fund, Employment Related Day Care, Healthy Families Oregon, Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten, Preschool Promise, and Relief Nurseries. Together, these programs, under one roof, are helping to unify and strengthen early learning across Oregon.

In June, the agency released two guiding documents: Growing Oregon Together, strategic plan for 2024-2029 along with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan which will help guide the work in the years ahead. Staff have also taken steps to increase transparency including the launch of three new data dashboards to help measure progress.

DELC staff set up strong foundations and structure for the new agency including creating policies, information technology infrastructure, and agency-wide budget processes to ensure limited financial resources are leveraged to their greatest effect. In June the agency refined the organizational structure with a dual deputy model that will help teams operate more efficiently, and in turn, better serve Oregonians.

Child health and safety is an important focus at the agency. The Child Care Licensing Division worked with partners to revise and implement new rules, ran over 21,000 background checks, conducted investigations and supported providers tohelpensure Oregon’s children have safe and healthy environmentsto play, explore, and learn. This work took place out of field offices across the state in Redmond, La Grande, Medford, Eugene, Salem, Tualatin and Portland.

Over the course of the year, staff worked hard to be intentional about internal and external engagement. Leadership recently announced a contract with Workplace Change to help build a supportive culture and to foster an inclusive work environment. The new Tribal Affairs Office and Social Equity Office have expanded and are fully staffed. Agency staff will continue to build strong government-to-government relationship with Tribes and to deepen partnerships with advocates, unions, legislators, culturally specific nonprofits, providers, families and other community groups.

At the legislature, stafftestified, attended committee hearings, and worked with the legislature to pass the agency’s first budget. Bills were advanced and new policies are being implemented to increase options and provide supports to Oregonians in need.

DELC does many things to be proud of and this work represents only a small sampling of what was accomplished over the last year.

The agency is marking the “DELC Turns 1!” occasion with a downloadable coloring page. Tag DELC on social media with completed works of art.

“As we reflect on all we have collectively achieved this past year, we are more committed than ever and are deeply grateful for the collaboration, support, and partnership we’ve received,” said Chatterjee. “We have a great deal more work to do, and in the years ahead we will continue to evolve our strategies and solutions to meet the needs of the communities DELC serves.” te.

###

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

Press Release: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Releases First Strategic Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 25, 2024

Contact:
Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292
delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Releases First Strategic Plan

Growing Oregon Together lays out a comprehensive five-year plan for early education and care

SALEM, ORE. –The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) released the 2024-2029 strategic plan along with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan. Outlined in the plans are the agency mission, vision, and values that reflect the agency’s mandate, along with key goals and objectives to guide the work for the next five years.

The multi-year plans are designed to be both ambitious and achievable in the interest of fostering coordinated, culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals in Oregon.

“Today we released a bold vision for our young agency,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “I’m proud to share these plans, which I believe will be transformative and will serve as a roadmap to help guide programs, operations, and priorities over the next five years toward doing what we do best – strengthening Oregon’s early childhood system to change the trajectory of a child’s life while positively impacting caregivers, the early learning workforce, and our economy.”

The Growing Oregon Together plan drew upon community conversations and feedback from more than 700 partners, providers, and families in addition to input from more than 200 staff members. Guided by the plan, DELC aims to build upon the strong foundation established over the last year since the agency’s inception. Outlined in the plan are six key goal areas and affiliated objectives for the next five years:

Access

Tribal Sovereignty

Infants and Toddlers

Workforce

Relationships

Foundations

Woven throughout Growing Oregon Together and the DEI Action plan is an unwavering commitment to advance the agency values of equity, respect, trust, relationships, safety, continuous improvement and integrity with an emphasis on communities who have been historically underserved. Together the two plans outline high-level priorities, increase accountability, and will serve as a guidepost to ensure the agency is meeting the needs of care providers, families, and communities across Oregon.

“We’ve gone through tremendous change over the last year with standing up our new agency,” said Director Chatterjee. “Now, these guiding documents will help to deepen DELC’s commitments to the communities we serve while advancing our mission to foster coordinated culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals.”

DELC’s values are integrated throughout the programmatic goals, objectives, and cross-agency strategies which will be used to help monitor and communicate progress. The plans are living documents and may evolve based on community needs and available resources. As DELC moves forward with implementation the agency will report out on the progress made to develop and launch programs and policies that advance DELC’s vision to ensure all children, families, early care and education professionals, and communities are supported and empowered to thrive.

The full version of Growing Oregon Together and the DEI Action Plan are available on the DELC website.

###

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

Press Release: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Launches New Data Dashboard showing 96% Enrollment for the Preschool Promise Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 17, 2024

Contact:
Kate Gonsalves, (503) 428-7292
delc.media@delc.oregon.gov

Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care Launches New Data Dashboard showing 96% Enrollment for the Preschool Promise Program

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) launched a new data dashboard demonstrating positive trends around the strong growth of Preschool Promise Program. The data shows thousands of families across the state are successfully accessing free, high quality preschool. Preschool Promise is a preschool program serving children ages 3-4, in a variety of early learning settings, in all 36 Oregon counties. The program is available to families who are living at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. For a family of four that amounts to a yearly annual income at or below $60,000.

“Preschool Promise is helping to ensure that families with young children have preschool options that align with the learning environment they know will work best for their child and their family,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “I’m pleased to see the strength of the program reflected in the data. These aren’t just statistics, each data point on the graph represents families positively impacted by the Preschool Promise program.”

“Here in Medford, many families would be unable to attend our program without Preschool Promise funding,” said Sunny Spicer, Executive Director at Oregon Center for Creative Learning. “For many families, receiving that funding is the turning point to stability. Each day, I see the transformational impact that access to preschool provides to families. It’s the key to find employment, the pathway to housing, or the doorway to the services they have been seeking.” 

Previously, the Preschool Promise program faced challenges with utilization during the pandemic when a child care provider workforce shortage created significant enrollment challenges for public preschool programs. Today, with the launch of DELC’s in-house procurement office, the data shows strong improvements and a positive trajectory in expanding the number of grantees and the number of preschool slots filled statewide.

The success of the program would not be possible without Early Learning Hubs that enroll children with grantees. This “mixed delivery model” spans across more than 300 sites in a variety of settings. Schools are one of the main delivery options of the program. This model reflects the unique needs of families looking for an appropriate preschool program including the need for extended hours, sibling considerations, culturally responsive care, or a preference for home based setting.

“Every family should have the access to free, culturally responsive preschool programs that meet their family’s needs,” said Dayna Jung, Preschool Promise Manager. “Preschool Promise engages parents as partners in their child’s learning and development. I’m thrilled to see the data reflect how impactful this program is. This dashboard increases transparency and allows the public to spot trends and see how we are working to establish inclusive, welcoming environments for all families.”

The interactive Preschool Promise data dashboard helps to illustrate the broad need for child care across the state with maps that include county based information. Additional dashboards for other high quality DELC programs including Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten are in development. To see the current dashboards, please visit the DELC website: Department of Early Learning and Care : Data and Research Homepage : Data : State of Oregon 

In addition to the data dashboard, the agency also recently announced a new opportunity for providers interested in Preschool Promise. A Request for Applications (RFA) for the Preschool Promise program went live this week for the 2024-2025 program year. The agency welcomes applications from interested entities across the state to reallocate a total of 358 slots. Additionally, DELC is offering eligible applicants the opportunity to be placed in the Preschool Promise applicant waitlist pool for all 16 Early Learning Hubs to be considered when future slots become available. Materials must be received by 5:00pm on June 17, 2024. To read more about the opportunity, or to learn more about Preschool Promise eligibility and enrollment please visit the Preschool Promise page on the DELC website.

###

About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care

Celebrating Child Care Provider Appreciation Day on May 10, 2024

The Department of Early Learning and Care and the State of Oregon recognize today as Child Care Provider Appreciation Day.

Governor Tina Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating May 10, 2024, as Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. The Day is celebrated annually across the country on the Friday before Mother’s Day to say “thank you” to the educators and care professionals who positively shape the lives of young children.

To the invaluable child care workforce of Oregon, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering efforts and dedication. Your role as a critical resource for families and our littlest learners is truly commendable, helping them to grow and thrive.

Below, you will see the faces of some of Oregon’s child care providers. Be sure to thank a provider today in celebration of Child Care Provider Appreciation Day!

DELC Announces 2024 Ambassador of Public Service Awardees

Every year the State of Oregon celebrates Public Service Recognition Week (May 5-11) by taking the opportunity to thank public employees for their service, make visible their important work and deepen connections between state agencies and the communities they serve.

As part of this celebration, state agencies award employees the Ambassador of Public Service Award and are allowed to nominate employees for statewide recognition. Based on DELC’s size, we are allowed to select up to three employees to be considered for this honor.

For this year’s Public Service Recognition Week, DAS chose the theme of Operational Excellence. Whether their customers are external or internal, these nominated employees embrace the principles of:

respect for every individual,
continuous improvement,
and empowering others.

These principles help us create a culture of excellence within Oregon state government. We want to acknowledge and celebrate the DELC staff members who demonstrate an unconditional commitment to giving the highest level of service to every person. Public service ambassadors embody the enterprise values of integrity, accountability, excellence, and equity.

The statements below were taken directly from the colleague-submitted nominations. Please join me in congratulating our 2024 DELC Ambassadors of Public Service award recipients, Adindu Iheanacho, Dayna Jung, andHilda Diaz!

A photo of Adindu Iheanacho, a Black man wearing a caddy cap — *Adindu Iheanacho, Licensing*

Adindu Iheanacho brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the field of child care licensing. With 31 years of public service, he has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving Oregon communities and supporting the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC.)

Adindu uplifts those around him and contributes to a more knowledgeable and consistent work environment. He places a high priority on being responsive and dependable to both internal and external customers. This reliability and commitment to excellent customer service not only reflects positively on him as an individual but also enhances the agency’s reputation and effectiveness.

Adindu’s approach to his work is characterized by courtesy, respect, and a focus on collective problem-solving. In his interactions with providers, he demonstrates a respectful approach to every individual, and prioritizes collaboration to find solutions that benefit all parties involved.

Adindu’s contributions as a child care licensing specialist go far beyond his years of experience; they speak to his integrity, professionalism, and genuine care for the well-being of children and families. He is an asset to the agency and a shining example of dedication and service.

Photo of Dayna Jung, a woman with shoulder length dark hair — *Dayna Jung, Preschool Promise*

Dayna Jung exemplifies extraordinary customer service as the Preschool Promise Manager of the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).

Whether leading child care providers and early educators through the first statewide expansion of the Preschool Promise program during the pandemic,

or fielding requests for support to improve the quality and services of programs, Dayna is passionate about empowering others and ensuring communities have what they need to be successful. Even during difficult times, she has continued working to find innovative solutions to complex issues.

Her hard work has not gone unnoticed. As a bilingual Spanish-speaker, Dayna has shown a demonstrated commitment to ensuring that Spanish-speaking grantees and all early learning educators receive information and support.

Dayna is intentional about increasing access and equity for the Preschool Promise program, ensuring that resources, including grant agreements and manuals, are available in multiple languages. She also provides exceptional technical assistance to multiple DELC units and other state agencies to promote aligned messaging and to improve their customer service in interactions with Preschool Promise grantees.

Each day, Danya’s remarkable contributions and achievements are evident in the work she does. Dayna’s commitment to the needs of families and the small business owners of the Preschool Promise program makes her an asset to communities across Oregon and a strong agent of customer service for Oregon state government.

Photo of Hilda Diaz, a woman with curly hair wearing glasses — *Hilda Diaz, DELC Direct Pay Unit*

Hilda Diaz embodies the value of customer service. Hilda has been with the Department of Early Learning and Care’s Direct Pay Unit (DPU) for over five years, initially serving as a Claim Payment Specialist and currently as a Public Service Representative Branch Liaison.

Hilda is the definition of a team player and routinely goes above and beyond her regular duties to make sure that Oregon families and child care providers receive the support they need.

Among her duties, when questions or issues about benefits arise, Hilda serves as a liaison between families and Oregon Department of Human Services eligibility workers. She ensures families are supported at every step, with the utmost skill, responsiveness, and integrity.

When confronted with questions and issues from providers or families Hilda listens attentively and always seeks to find creative solutions while also clearly communicating rules and requirements to DPU customers. She has regularly taken exceptional initiative in “going the extra mile” to provide service to both internal and external services.

Hilda’s steadfast care and support of customers and demonstrated commitment to a culture of excellence make her an exceptional ambassador of public service within Oregon state government.

While the agency was only able to nominate three individuals, all DELC staff strive to deliver excellent customer service – to our colleagues and our external partners – every day. Thank you for all that you do!