Category: Surveys

2022 Statewide Household Survey Report Released Examining Early Education and Childcare Needs  

Mom and dad and their two young children sit around a field after playing some family soccer together. The oldest, an elementary-age boy, has his arm around mom and has a big smile on his face. Little sister is pointing up at the sky.

The 2022 Statewide Household Survey Report has been released. The Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Research Team at Portland State University’s Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services (PSU) and OSLC Developments, Inc. (ODI) has published the report, which presents the results of the third statewide survey administered to parents and other caregivers of children aged 0 to 5. The survey was conducted from December 2022 through January 2023. The findings provide important information about the needs for child care and the challenges to finding care currently faced by Oregon families.

The results of the 2022 survey echo those of the 2019 and 2020 surveys in finding that both the cost and availability of child care continue to be challenges for most Oregon families. One of the most striking findings is that 41% of families report challenges finding child care have had an negative impact on their employment. The report also finds an increase in the number of families reporting that their child has been asked to leave an early learning program.

Researchers conducted outreach to over 400 agencies and organizations to reach families from across the state. Specific focus was given to outreach to agencies serving historically underrepresented communities and those in more isolated rural regions of the state. Families across Oregon’s 36 counties were invited to participate in the survey. Nearly 4000 parents, guardians and primary caregivers of young children provided feedback about their early education and child care needs.

Specifically, the 2022 survey focused on information about:  

  1. Families’ usage of child care, including type, frequency, and hours of care;
  2. Families’ satisfaction and challenges with finding child care for their child, as well as whether the services obtained were responsive to the family’s cultural background and/or home language;
  3. Whether children with an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), developmental disabilities, or chronic medical needs were able to access services they needed;
  4. Rates of suspension and expulsions from early childhood care experienced by families and reasons for these experiences.

The latest results show an important representative snapshot that will allow the new Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) to determine how the landscape of early care and education (ECE) services and supports has remained the same and what trends have changed in recent years.

The recommendations presented in the report will be used to strengthen the reach and impact of Oregon’s birth-five early learning and support system moving forward after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was made possible by a Preschool Development Grant which expired last year. Future family surveys that measure the needs of Oregon families may not be possible without additional funding.

To read the full report and see survey data, visit the DELC website Oregon.gov/DELC and search under 2022 Household Survey.

The DELC research staff and the PDG Research Team would like to thank all those who participated in the survey for sharing their needs, experiences, and perspectives.

Emergency Preparedness Survey

The Early Learning Division is working with a group to create a statewide Early Learning Emergency Preparedness and Recovery Plan for child care facilities. Emergency management personnel, early learning educators, and other disaster preparedness, tribal representatives, and agency staff have a goal to develop a plan that provides value to child care providers and stakeholders and meets federal requirements of the Office of Child Care.

We would like you to share some of your ideas with the work group. Your responses will inform the work of the group and help create the best plan possible for children and families in Oregon. Please follow the links below to take and/or share the survey in English or Spanish. Thank you for your time.

ENGLISH
SPANISH

Oregon’s Infant Toddler State Self-Assessment is on the road!

This assessment is intended to gather information about Oregon’s infants and toddlers and their families and the services and systems in place to support them; with the goal of putting action steps in place to strengthen supports and services. The team, a partnership between the Early Learning Division, the Oregon Health Authority and many community partners, has gathered available data about infants and toddlers, their families, and existing services and supports.

We are now seeking to collect information directly from parents of 0-3 year olds about their experiences with community supports in two ways:  First, a series of parent listening sessions, hosted by community organizations, are taking place this month in eight different areas of the state, ranging from Ontario and Roseburg, to Beaverton and Portland.  At these listening sessions we will hear directly from parents about the supports they have in place or still need to raise their infants and toddlers.  Second, an online parent survey is open now through February 9th, 2018 for any parent of an infant or toddler to provide their perspective.  You can access the English version of the survey here and the Spanish version here.  Links can also be found on the Infant Toddler State Self-Assessment web page.

For questions about this assessment contact Elisabeth Underwood at elisabeth.underwood@state.or.us.

Early Learning Provider Survey

As part of Oregon’s Quality Rating & Improvement System, many early learning programs will begin to participate in developmental screening in 2014. We are currently developing workforce training and resources to support you in this work, and we need your input!

If you are an early learning provider in Oregon, please complete this 10-minute survey to help us focus our training efforts.

The survey will close Monday, December 16.

To learn more about developmental screening, see this overview for early learning providers

Thank you for your time and all the good work you do!