Category: Uncategorized

Public funding helped to increase available child care slots in Oregon

What is a child care desert? A child care desert is an area where at least three children exist for every child care slot available. Severe deserts are defined as having at most one slot for every 10 children. 

According to a new report from Oregon State University, child care slots for Oregon’s young children grew by almost 5% from March 2020 to Dec. 2022. This was thanks, in part, to increased public funding for child care and early learning programs. 

“The increased availability of child care slots since 2020 demonstrates the effectiveness of public investments and federal relief. It’s a good sign, but we can’t lose momentum,” said Alyssa Chatterjee, Early Learning System director at the state Early Learning Division. “We need to continue these investments in early learning and child care, and communities agree.” 

Since March 2020, eight of Oregon’s 36 counties have moved out of desert status for preschool-aged kids, and another eight became less severe deserts for infants and toddlers.  

 “We’re seeing a lot of those counties coming out of desert status because of the additional supply being developed from public funding,” said Michaella Sektnan, co-author on the report and senior faculty research assistant in OSU’s College of Public Health and Human Sciences.

“Without that public funding, all except three counties would be child care deserts.” 

[fruitful_sep]Read the full release and view the OSU Child Care Desert Report. Or, see the infographics from the report. 

 

The report drew its data from multiple programs administered by the state’s Early Learning Division, including Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten, Preschool Promise and Baby Promise. Researchers also included numbers from federal Head Start/Early Head Start, tribal Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs. On the private side, data came from Find Child Care Oregon, which is administered by Central Coordination of Child Care Resource and Referral, with data gathering partnership from statewide Child Care Resource and Referral agencies.

A Statement From the Director About Provider Appreciation Day On May 12th

This week, Oregon joins states around the country in recognizing the important work of child care providers, with Provider Appreciation Day on May 12th. We know that 95% of a child’s brain growth occurs before the age of five, and 65% of all children under the age of six have both parents in the workforce. With dedication and professional skills, child care providers create spaces that support children to learn and thrive while also making it possible for families to be successful in the workforce. Simply put, child care providers are the workers that make all work possible.

But Oregon is in the midst of a child care crisis. With a limited availability of affordable child care across the state before the pandemic, we know that over 7% of the early learning and child care workforce has left the industry, further impacting families and preventing parents from returning to the workforce. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we recognize the important role that child care providers play in Oregon’s economy and children’s development. The creation of the Department of Early Learning and Care is a positive step forward in unifying and strengthening high-quality early learning and care for Oregon families and children.

Child care providers don’t just make it possible for families to work. The earliest years of a child’s life are critical – they lay the foundation for the brain and body architecture that will support a child’s ability to learn, and for lifelong social, emotional, and physical health. This Provider Appreciation Day, let’s show our gratitude for those who support the social, emotional, and physical care of our youngest children.

New Study Looks at the Work Environments of Center-based and Home-based Early Educators

In partnership with University of California-Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, the Early Learning Division commissioned a study looking at the work environments of center-based and home-based early educators. The study is part of the Supportive Environmental Quality Underlying Adult Learning (SEQUAL) series and is the first of its kind to be conducted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly 1,000 early educators shared their lived experiences with work conditions that affected educator practice and well-being. You can find both the executive summary and the full report on the UC-Berkeley website.

ELD Tribal Affairs Director accepted into 2022-24 ZERO TO THREE Fellowship Class

The Division of Early Learning and Care (ELD) congratulates the ELD Tribal Affairs Director, Valeria Atanacio, for being accepted into the 2022-24 Fellowship Class with ZERO TO THREE!

“ZERO TO THREE, the leading nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life, proudly announces its 2022-24 Fellowship Class, welcoming 20 global leaders to the premier leadership development program in the early childhood field.”

We also wish to congratulate the Early Learning Hub Director for Clackamas County, Danielle “Dani” Stamm Thomas, for being accepted into the Fellowship Class.

You can visit the original article from ZERO TO THREE to learn more about this fellowship opportunity and read more about the 2022-24 class.

New Coaching Competencies Guidance for Early Learning Educators in Oregon

How do instructional coaches help preschool teachers improve? The Early Learning Division asked colleagues at the Oregon State University’s Early Learning System Initiative (ELSI) to help answer that question. The result was new guidance addressing what coaches can do to effectively support quality teaching and learning, as shared in the new Oregon Coaching Competencies.

The ELD is committed to providing high-quality public preschool programs. By developing Coaching Competencies, the partnership clearly defined how coaches support early childhood educators. Coaches will receive training that empowers them to be even greater support for early educators in public programs such as Preschool Promise, Head Start, and OPK.

“The Professional Early Learning Systems team is dedicated to finding the next stage of equitable education and support to early learning educators across Oregon,” said Michael Connor, Training and Technical Assistance Systems Specialist at ELD. “We partnered with ELSI at OSU to make this happen. Their unit helped to expand and meet our research needs to create an enriching coaching program.”

Coaches play an important role in creating a genuinely effective early learning system. Coaches work with teaching teams to improve teaching and learning methods used by the early learning educators on those teams. They make connections with diverse groups to learn together and promote collaborative partnerships. The result means that coaches use effective coaching techniques with culturally responsive coaching methods to help early learning educators work better with the children and families they serve.

The Oregon Coaching Competencies describe effective early childhood education coaching:

  • Use strategies to support culturally responsive coaching
  • Use strategies to build collaborative partnerships
  • Apply adult learning principles
  • Use data to develop coaching goals
  • Observe, provide feedback, and facilitate goal-focused reflection on effective practice
  • Coaching for high-quality: developmentally appropriate, inclusive, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and linguistically appropriate teaching practices.

The ELD and the Professional Early Learning Systems team thank ELSI, a partner in developing the Oregon Coaching Competencies. ELSI focused on the needs of early learning educators across the state with a year-long community feedback process. The information collected was then used to articulate a culturally responsive approach to coaching early educators. In conjunction with the competencies, ELSI mentors public PreK coaches and is developing a tiered coaching certification system to support effective coaching.

More Oregon Families Now Qualify for Affordable Child Care Program

News Release
Jan. 5, 2023
Media Contact:
Marion Suitor Barnes, Early Learning Division, 971-719-6461
Jake Sunderland, Oregon Department of Human Services, 503-877-0170

More Oregon Families Now Qualify for Affordable Child Care Program

Non-working students among the newly eligible for the Employment Related Day Care program, efforts to increase provider capacity continue

Need to know

  • The Employment Related Day Care program is expanding effective Jan. 1
  • Students can now qualify to receive child care support regardless of their employment status
  • Many families will qualify for more child care assistance, including students for study time and caretakers who work night shifts

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and Early Learning Division (ELD) of the Department of Education are excited to announce expanded eligibility for affordable child care through the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. The expansion took effect on Jan. 1 and is among the provisions of House Bill 3073 of the 2021 Legislative Session, which also creates the new Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).

“For many families the cost of child care can be a barrier to meeting their educational goals and entering and staying in the workforce,” said ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht. “By expanding access to the ERDC program, Oregon is significantly enhancing the support it provides to families to strengthen their well-being.”

The primary changes to the program mean that students—in high school, a GED program, or  college—no longer need to work to qualify for the child care assistance. Plus, all students will receive additional child care hours each week for study time. Additionally, many families will qualify for more child care hours due to a change in the way part-time and full-time coverage is calculated.

The ERDC program, currently administered by ODHS, will move to DELC on July 1, 2023, when the agency is officially established. Early Learning System Director Alyssa Chatterjee shared her excitement about the expanded eligibility and the program’s transition.

“Continuing one’s education is a full-time job, and I am excited that individuals pursuing their education in Oregon will have access to affordable child care,” said ELD Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “This, along with the change to part-time and full-time hours, are critical steps toward making ERDC more accessible and more advantageous for families. I look forward to the program officially joining DELC alongside our other early learning and child care resources.”

Other provisions in the expansion include:

  • All ERDC families are now eligible for sleep hours when a caretaker works a night shift
  • Caretakers on medical leave for their own condition or their child’s can receive ERDC benefits
  • ERDC participants can continue to use their child care benefits when on leave to care for someone outside of their household

ELD created an infographic describing how the Jan. 1 changes to ERDC expands opportunities for families. It is available in five languages and is linked below.

To help meet the increased demand for child care slots, ODHS and ELD are partnering to expand provider capacity by recruiting licensed child care providers who do not accept ERDC into the program.

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About the Oregon Department of Human Services

The mission of the Oregon Department of Human Services is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.

About the Early Learning Division

The ELD is a division within the Department of Education that is responsible for oversight of a statewide early care and education service delivery system. It is responsible for the administration of state and federal early care and education programs as well as the design and implementation of Oregon’s child care work. ELD values equity, dedication, integrity, and collective wisdom in making a positive impact to benefit Oregon’s children and families.[fruitful_sep]

Release in Spanish

New Research Highlights Families’ Experiences and Recommendations for Improving Child Care and Oregon’s Early Learning System

(Salem, Ore) – In a new study, Oregon families in three priority populations shared their experiences and insights about child care, their struggles to find high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs, and their actionable recommendations for how to improve Oregon’s early learning system. The Oregon Early Learning Division (ELD) commissioned researchers from the Center for Improvement of Child and Families Services at Portland State University to conduct this study funded by the federal Birth-to-Five Preschool Development Grant.

Eighty-one families participated in interviews or focus groups for this research. The ELD chose to prioritize the following populations because they had not been a focus of previous work and their experiences are critical to informing Oregon’s work to create a more equitable early learning system:

  • Families with a child under age five who was suspended or expelled from an early learning program;
  • Families with infants and toddlers and who (a) identify as African American/Black; (b) are Spanish speaking and live in rural and non-urban areas of Oregon; (c) identify as Native American/American Indian; or (d) are English speaking and live in rural Oregon;
  • Families with a child aged 0–5 years and who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Among the key findings, families reported a clear need for more affordable, high-quality child care options. This included having child care providers who spoke their home languages, who reflected their racial, ethnic, and/or cultural backgrounds, who were part of the LGBTQIA+ community, who were located closer to them (especially in rural parts of Oregon), who were able to meet their children’s medical, developmental, and/or behavioral needs, and who they felt they could trust to provide nurturing, safe, and culturally appropriate care.

“Child care is a critical support to working families and this report highlights what families have long known – that high quality, inclusive, and culturally appropriate child care is inaccessible across Oregon,” said Oregon Early Learning System Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “Now, more than ever, we need to see investments in child care that expand access and reduces this burden for our families.”

Families also described ongoing challenges and limited available supports in their search for quality child care and other resources. For example, families spoke about waiting from six months to three years on child care waiting lists, and shared compelling stories about the emotional and financial burdens they experienced. Others talked about compromises they made to find, afford, and use child care that would work well for their child and their family.

“While there were a few differences across the families we spoke with, their stories and recommendations were overwhelming similar – Oregon lacks sufficient options to meet the child care needs,” said Portland State University Lead Researcher Beth Green. “Families are bending over backwards to do the best they can for their children, at considerable emotional, personal, and financial cost to themselves.”

The full reports include direct quotes from families, information about the unique experiences and recommendations of families, and more detailed summaries of the key findings. The three reports – one per priority population – and executive summary are posted on ELD’s website. Below is a sampling of family quotes, which serve as examples of the rich information available in the full reports:

“That’s our other biggest challenge, just paying $1,250 a month for the babies, which is more than our $900 house mortgage. It’s eating us alive, but they’re the best daycare around, they’re the most reliable.”

–Rural English-Speaking Infant and Toddler Focus Group Participant

“As we’re having discussions about caregivers that value and respect our family, it would be wonderful to have a caregiver who was in our community, but I didn’t run across any queer caregivers, or daycare centers when I was searching. That would have been ideal. I’m compromising by not getting that.”

–LGBTQIA+ Family Member

“I would love to have a space where my daughter sees people that look like her and reflected by her, and that she’s not the only Black girl in the class, or one of three Black girls.”

–Black and African American Focus Group Participant

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Media Contacts:
Marion Suitor Barnes, 971-719-6461, Early Learning Division
Beth Green, 503-725-9904, Portland State University

Public Comment Open for Proposed September Administrative Rule Updates

There are three administrative rule sets open for public comment beginning Thursday, September 1, 2022. Public comment will close for the rule sets Friday, September 23 at 5 p.m. Rules will be presented to the Early Learning Council (ELC) in their September 28, 2022 meeting.

Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Program

Summary: The purposes of the Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Program (Program) are to reduce the use of Suspension, Expulsion, and other forms of Exclusionary practices in early childhood care and education programs and to eliminate disparities in the use of Suspension, Expulsion, and other forms of Exclusionary practices in early childhood care and education programs based on race, ethnicity, age, appearance, language, socioeconomic status, ability, religion, immigration status, gender or gender identity, and any other identity or intersectionality. House Bill 2166 of the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session requires the ELC to adopt rules necessary to administration of the Program.

Process: The ELD convened a Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) to advise rule language six times through May and July 2022, with a seventh meeting planned for September. The RAC included diverse voices representing communities across Oregon. Learn more about RAC participants on the RAC website.

Rules to govern the Program will be adopted in several phases, the first of which will be presented in the September 28 ELC meeting. Learn more about what is and is not included in the first round of proposed rulemaking on the Program website, including the most current proposed rule text. The ELD will continue to seek input from people, communities, and organizations impacted by these rules before proposing additional requirements in the future.

Public Comment & Public Hearing: There will be a virtual public hearing on Tuesday, September 20, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Please see the the ELD calendar to learn more on how to sign up to present virtual testimony OR submit written public comment.

Office of Child Care: School-Age Center Ruleset Clean-up

Summary: The ELD adopted an entirely new rule set for School-Aged Centers (SAC) in June 2022. School-aged care includes after-school programs for children up to age 12. The ELD engaged several partners in the original rule language development, including holding a RAC made up of school-age providers, parents, and content experts over May 2022. Since adoption in June 2022, a handful of technical issues have come up in implementation from internal and external partners. This clean-up addresses these technical issues. Review a presentation on the proposed language changes here.

Process: To create the adopted ruleset, the ELD first consulted an external work group comprised of subject matter experts, such as employees or managers of SACs, for guidance on what should be included in language. The ELD then convened a RAC over the course of May 2022 to further analyze the ruleset. Since adoption in June 2022, several external and internal partners, including RAC members, have flagged issues in the rule language that create difficulties in implementation. The ELD is proposing technical changes to the ruleset to address this feedback.

Public Comment & Public Hearing: There will be a public hearing on Thursday, September 22, at 5:30 p.m. Please see the calendar link for more information, including how to register for the hearing and full proposed rule text.

TEMPORARY: Early Learning Program Procurement Rule Language Clean-Up

Rule language will be posted with the ELC September 28 meeting materials when available.

Summary: N.B. These rules will be proposed for temporary adoption. The ELD adopted rules in January 2020 governing Preschool Promise, Oregon Prenatal-Kindergarten (previously Oregon Preschool-Kindergarten), and the Early Childhood Equity Fund. In implementation, the rules written around procurement have created barriers to application and payment for providers and the ELD. These proposed rule updates will remove administrative barriers in application and payment.

Process: These proposed rules will be temporary and in effect for 180 days. There is no public hearing scheduled at this time; there will be a public hearing scheduled for permanent administrative rule adoption.

How to provide public comment: These rules will be proposed for temporary adoption at the Wednesday, September 28 ELC Meeting. Please see the calendar link for more information on how to submit public comment for the ELC meeting.

 

Upcoming at future meetings:

Tribal Early Learning Hub Ruleset

Summary: House Bill 2055 of the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session established the Tribal Advisory Committee to advise the Early Learning Council on the Tribal Early Learning Hub. The Tribal Advisory Committee, comprised of two tribal-appointed members from each of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, is currently working to stand up the new Tribal Early Learning Hub, which will have the Early Learning Division as its backbone organization. Rules are necessary to outline the purpose and functions of the Tribal Early Learning Hub, as well as determine administration of funding between the Early Learning Division, Tribal Early Learning Hub, and the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon.

Process: A Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) was formed as a subcommittee to the Tribal Advisory Committee. The RAC was comprised of one representative from each of the tribes forming the Tribal Advisory Committee and met twice to develop rules covering the purposes and functions of the Tribal Early Learning Hub. Individual members of the Tribal Advisory Committee have submitted the rule language for feedback & approval to their governments. Rule language is tentatively scheduled to be adopted in the December 14, 2022 ELC meeting.

How to Make the Most of Summer for Early Learners 

Dr. Velvet Cooley, poses with a student, Zander, outside in a play area. Cooley says spending more time outdoors is proven to have a calming effect and enhance mental health, even for young children.

[fruitful_sep]Dr. Velvet Cooley, pictured with student Zander, says spending time outdoors is proven to have a calming effect, especially as we consider the pandemic aftermath.[fruitful_sep]

After two years of COVID-19 disruptions, this summer it may be more important than ever to explore the outdoors with young children.

Chief Operating Officer of the Mid-Columbia Children’s Council (MCCC) Dr. Velvet Cooley said spending more time outdoors is proven to have a calming effect and enhance mental health, even for young children.

“As far as learning outcomes, being outdoors promotes curiosity,” she said. “When you are outside, a child has more freedom and you can let the child go. For instance, they might find a stick and you can ask, ‘can you write your name’? They might have more fun than doing it that with a pen and paper. You aren’t forcing the learning. It’s happening naturally.”

Dr. Cooley said research supports how their Tygh Valley Head Start site is making a difference. Children in the program spend almost 100% of their school days outside. At the end of the spring 2020-21 year, the outdoor classroom had 80% of children meeting or exceeding expectations in literacy compared to the overall of 77% of children enrolled in MCCC. In math, 90% of the outdoor classroom children met or exceeded expectations, compared to 77% of the overall children enrolled.

Children at Tygh Valley take naps in tents, eat outside and learn out outdoors – often through the natural elements around them.

“When it comes to math skills – maybe the child starts collecting rocks, counting and sorting – big rocks to little rocks,” she said. “It might not be an activity you planned but it’s that opportunity to foster natural curiosity.”

A blonde woman, Tygh Valley Head Start teacher Chelsey Hauser, counts rocks with a young boy in the playground at the Tygh Valley Head Start site in Tygh Valley, Oregon

[fruitful_sep]Dr. Velvet Cooley encourages student Zander to compare the different sizes and shapes of the rocks. Dr. Cooley has researched the mental and physical health benefits to young children learning outdoors.[fruitful_sep]

Tygh Valley Head Start teacher Chelsey Hauser, who works with three to five year olds, said many of their families enjoy spending time outdoors when they aren’t at school.

“It makes a big difference because I see how excited the kids are about learning,” Hauser said.

Hauser said they do a garden study every year, with this year’s beds planted with pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots and peppers.

“The kids help get the gardens ready,” said Hauser. “The first thing they see is worms and we talk about how the worms contribute to the soil. After that, we saw the kids going around looking for worms to put into the garden.”

Dr. Cooley has also found nature to have a calming effect on challenging behaviors – some of which were amplified during the pandemic, when caregivers and children found themselves cooped up indoors and more isolated.

“When you are outside, you feel more comfortable not wearing a mask,” she said. “It’s nice to have the opportunity to be playing outside and feel safe. When children would be feeling more frustrated or not getting along with their peers, the minute you go outside, it appears to go away.”

Dr. Cooley also looked at outcomes during the pandemic across MCCC and found physical development was down, including gross and fine motor skills.

“Children can’t throw a ball or when they walk, they aren’t balancing as well as they used to,’ she said. “It’s been interesting to observe.”

It is another reason Dr. Cooley is encouraging families and care givers to get outside this summer and ask children to examine their surroundings – from bugs to birds, or even a flower coming out of the sidewalk.

“We know having exposure to nature makes you happier,” Dr. Cooley shared. “It’s in the way we are built as humans.”

“You can simply take a hike on the sidewalk,” she said. “It doesn’t have to involve traveling to a park – just go right outside your door.”

[fruitful_sep]If you are a provider, Tygh Valley offers advice to other Head Start or preschool classrooms that want to explore outdoor learning. Contact Dr. Cooley at velvetcooley@mcccheadstart.org or 541.386.2010.

State of Oregon increases child care reimbursement rates for providers

This is a joint release by the Oregon Department of Human Services and Early Learning Division.

(Salem) – Child care reimbursement rates are increasing for providers caring for children of families who receive support with child care expenses through the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS).

ODHS pays child care providers for child care provided to families receiving child care assistance through the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs.

The new child care reimbursement rates are effective June 1, 2022 and increasing due to the passage of House Bill 4005 of the 2022 Legislative Session.

The average monthly reimbursement rates for full-time care are increasing by:

  • 18% for family, friend and neighbor care
  • Between 6 and 20% for child care centers
  • Between 11 and 25% for licensed home-based care

“For many families the cost of child care can be a barrier to meeting their goals and entering and staying in the workforce,” said Claire Seguin, deputy director of the ODHS Self-Sufficiency Programs. “These reimbursement rate increases will ensure families have equal access to quality child care.”

“As our child care system continues to struggle with staffing shortages and lack of child care supply, this is an important first step to ensure our child care providers are paid a fair wage,” said Oregon Early Learning System Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “I appreciate the Legislature’s investment in our system and what this will mean for Oregon families who receive support for their child care expenses.”

Actual child care reimbursement rates vary depending on provider type, child age and what community the provider is in. A complete list of reimbursement rates can be found online at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/CHILD-CARE/Pages/Rates.aspx.

ERDC helps eligible families pay for work-related child care expenses, including registration and enrollment fees. ERDC is a subsidy program, which means some families, depending on their income, may be required to pay a copay.

TANF supports individuals engaged in the Job Opportunity and Basic Skills (JOBS) program in attaining their goals by providing direct child care payments to providers as well as assistance with enrollment fees.

Oregonians can apply online for ERDC, TANF and other government supports online at One.Oregon.Gov or by phone at 1-800-699-9075 or TTY 711.

Resources to help meet basic needs

The Oregon Department of Human Services, Self-Sufficiency Programs operates the Employment Related Day Care program. The Employment Related Day Care program helps working families pay for child care, including registration and enrollment fees. It also works with partners statewide, including the Early Learning Division, to help families find quality child care.[fruitful_sep]

Contact ODHS: Jake Sunderland, Jake.Sunderland@dhsoha.state.or.us, 503-877-0170
Contact ELD: Melanie Mesaros, Melanie.Mesaros@state.or.us, 503-856-6040