Tag: CCU-2023

Reminder: March Provider Information Session

Don’t forget the next events in our series of Provider Information Sessions:  

Wednesday, March 15 | 6 to 7 p.m. 
All provider types. (Interpretation available)

Thursday, March 16 | 6 to 7 p.m. 
All provider types. (Conducted in Spanish)

The agenda and links to register will be available by March 4 on the ELD website. That page also contains links to previous information sessions. 

March is Preschool Education Awareness Month

National Preschool Teachers Appreciation Day is March 17! We want to thank Oregon’s early childhood educators for helping to shape the young minds of children in our communities. With thoughtful curriculum practices, your work makes a lasting difference for children and families in Oregon.  

Other observances to note: 

• Month of March: Disability Awareness Month and Women’s History Month 
• March 10: National Preschoolers Day 
• March 14: National Children’s Craft Day 
• Upcoming: The first week of April is the NAEYC’s 2023 Week of the Young Child®  

ELD on Instagram! 

Have you heard? The Early Learning Division (ELD) has launched an Instagram account! The ELD Instagram will share information with community members who are interested in learning more about the ELD and partner programs. Instagram posts will be especially helpful for families with children ages 0 to 5.   

Please encourage the families you serve to follow us: @oregonearlylearning 

If you would like your program to be highlighted on our Instagram or other social media pages, please submit your photos and release forms to this online form.  

Report Highlights Top Concerns of Early Educators

Early Learning Division partnered with University of California-Berkeley on a study exploring the work environments of center-based and home-based early educators. The study is the first of its kind since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 1,000 Oregon early educators shared their lived experiences with work conditions that affect practices and well-being. Here are some key takeaways: 

Supported staff want to stay: To recruit and maintain high-quality staff, programs must offer supportive working conditions for their early educators.  

Training and support needs: Many Oregon early educators reported a lack of training in several areas and a lack of options for sustained, long-term training or opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. 

Language and cultural diversity: Multilingual educators in Oregon feel they have less power in their program setting and that their input is not valued. 

Adult well-being suffers: Early educators reported struggling to afford housing, health care, food, and other basics for themselves and their families. They also reported unhealthy or unsafe conditions, such as not being able to take breaks. 

Family child care providers are facing challenges: Few family child care providers can employ assistants to help them in their work. Taking on this responsibility has negative effects on them financially and emotionally.  

You can find both the executive summary and the full report on the UC-Berkeley website. 

Oregon Spark: Apply to be a member of the redesign team  

The Research Institute at Western Oregon University (WOU) invites families and early learning and care professionals to help redesign the statewide Quality Recognition Improvement System—also known as Spark. WOU and Community Wealth Partners have created a listening, learning, and redesign process led by people who have children or currently work with young children. 

Members of this team will listen and gather information from families and early learning and care professionals in their communities through surveys, virtual or in-person conversations, and interviews. They will then review feedback and develop recommendations.  

Members of this team: 

• Earn $50 per hour 
• Work about 50 hours from late March through July 2023, including one weekly online meeting 
• Receive help with technology, child care, and training 

We encourage people who speak Spanish, English, and/or are bilingual in English and another language to apply. 

The deadline to apply is Monday, March 20. To submit an application, email the below information to Walter Howell at whowell@communitywealth.com (English) or Idalia Fernandez at ifernandez@communitywealth.com (Spanish): 

1. Name, phone number, email address  
2. Town/city where you live   
3. Languages you speak (including ASL) 
4. Brief answers to these questions in a few sentences:
   • Why do you want to be part of this listening team? 
   • What is most important to you in child care and early education? 

Find more information on the Spark website. Please feel free to contact Spark if you have questions. 

Presentations On The Upcoming Department Of Early Learning And Care

On February 27, February 28, and March 1, ELD staff presented on the new Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) at the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education. Click below to watch recordings and learn more about DELC. Closed captioning is available for the recorded meetings.   

• February 27: Agency Purpose, Budget, and Programs  
• February 28: Programs, Office of Child Care, and Employment Related Day Care 
• March 1: Strategic Priorities, Policy Packages, and Looking Ahead 

Certified School-Age Child Care Centers:
Watch Part Two of the Webinar Video Series

Part two of the school-age rules webinar video series is now available. Watch videos one through 13 by clicking the button below. The videos cover a variety of topics from center capacity to emergency preparedness to transportation. Visit Rules Resources – Oregon Early Learning Division to download support documents that are referenced in the series. 

This webinar video series was created as an introduction to the rules for Certified School-Age Child Care Centers. The videos provide an overview of the rules, explain key features and how rules are organized, and highlight changes in rules or new rules. 

After watching, please share your feedback on the series by completing this form.  

Webinar Playlist

Save the Date: March Provider Information Session

Mark your calendar for the next events in our series of provider information sessions:  

Wednesday, March 15 | 6 to 7 p.m. 
All provider types. (Interpretation available)

Thursday, March 16 | 6 to 7 p.m. 
All provider types. (Conducted in Spanish)

More details and a link to register coming soon. 

Watch previous information sessions on the ELD’s Provider Information Sessions page. 

ELD on Instagram!  

The Early Learning Division (ELD) is excited to share that we have launched an Instagram account! The ELD Instagram will share information with community members who are interested in learning more about the ELD and partner programs. Each resource will be especially helpful for families with children ages 0 to 5.   

Please encourage the families you serve to follow us: @oregonearlylearning 

Participate in the ERDC Rulemaking Process 

Learn about the transition of the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program to the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) by attending a five-meeting series for community partners and the public. The series will also include an opportunity to participate in a Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) and help shape ERDC-related rules.  

The first two meetings in the series will serve as an orientation to the Employment Related Day Care program (ERDC) and how it will work after it moves to DELC. All are welcome to attend these sessions. Please share this opportunity with your community. 

The meetings will be at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 23 and 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 2. To attend, join via Zoom. 

The remaining three meetings will be Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) meetings, led jointly by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and ELD. A RAC is a group of community members who will help agency staff review the removal of ERDC from ODHS rules and the adoption of ERDC rules under DELC.  

Participants will be reimbursed for their time dedicated to this RAC at the rate of $50 per meeting. The RAC meetings will be held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. on March 9, 4 p.m. on March 16, and 4 p.m. on March 23.  

We hope to have diverse voices within the RAC to represent communities within Oregon’s Early Learning System. Committee members may include:   

• Families  
• Child care providers   
• Representatives from advocacy organizations   
• Representatives from culturally specific, community-based organizations   
• Early Learning Hub representatives   
• Child Care Resource & Referral representatives   
• Tribal Nations representatives   

Select your preferred language to sign up as a committee member on the Rules Advisory Committee:

English Application

Aplicación en español

Приложение на русском языке

中文申请

Ứng dụng bằng tiếng Việt

You will be provided a Zoom link for the RAC meetings via email after you have signed up, and before the first meeting. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jordan Pargeter at jordan.pargeter@ode.oregon.gov.   

New Announcements from the Early Learning Division 

As you know, Oregon recently got a new governor. You may be wondering whether a new governor will cause any major changes at the ELD (soon to be the Department of Early Learning and Care). We are pleased to share that our current director, Alyssa Chatterjee, will remain as head of the current agency–and the new one!  

Also, Gov. Kotek has shared publicly that early learning and child care is one of her top three priorities during this term. There are many conversations happening in the legislative session that will affect early learning programs. If you are interested in tracking bills and actions later in the session, you can visit the legislature’s public information website. When new resources for legislative information regarding ELD/DELC are available, we will share them! 

ELD on Instagram!  

The Early Learning Division (ELD) is excited to share that we will be launching an Instagram account! The ELD Instagram will share information with community members who are interested in learning more about the ELD and partner programs. Each resource will be especially helpful for families with children ages 0 to 5. The ELD Instagram will be live on February 1.  

Please encourage the families you serve to follow us: @oregonearlylearning 

Coaching Competencies Guidance 

Have you ever wondered what types of training Oregon’s early learning coaches  receive? The new Coaching Competencies Guidance ensures that coaches receive training that empowers them to be an even greater support for early educators in public programs such as Preschool Promise and Oregon Pre-Kindergarten.  

You can read more about the project on the ELD blog. 

Nominations Open for Oregon Teacher of the Year 

Nominate a pre-K teacher in your program! The Oregon Teacher of the Year is a honor open to licensed public school educators in grades pre-K through 12. Regional winners will be announced in September 2023 and will be awarded $1,000 each. The Oregon Teacher of the Year will win $10,000 and be celebrated in October. 

Celebrating Black History Month 

Black History Month is coming up this February. Explore resources from the National Museum of African American History and Culture and consider incorporating them into your program’s curriculum this month and throughout the year.  Share with colleagues how you teach, honor, and celebrate the accomplishments, innovations, perspectives, and experiences of Black people.  

REMINDERS:  

• January Provider Information Sessions: Slides and recordings now available Thank you to everyone who attended our January sessions! The slides and recordings for the English and Spanish sessions held January 11 and 12 are now available. In these sessions, ELD shares the latest updates on the division’s transition to the Department of Early Learning and Care, the legislative session, and capacity-building grants.
• Become an ERDC-listed provider. As mentioned in the previous Child Care Update, the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program invites providers to become listed on the ODHS website and start accepting ERDC-eligible families. Why participate in this program? There are several great reasons listed on the ERDC website. 
• Oregon’s 2023 Legislative session is now underway
  Visit the Oregon State Legislature (OLIS) website for legislative recordings and updates on bills that relate to early learning and care.  

MORE FAMILIES NOW ELIGIBLE FOR
EMPLOYMENT RELATED DAY CARE PROGRAM

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and ELD have expanded eligibility for affordable child care through the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. The expansion took effect Jan. 1, and you can learn more about it on the ELD website. 

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. 

We invite providers to share this information with families they already serve. Additionally, if a provider would like to be listed with ODHS as a program that accepts ERDC families, there is more information on the ODHS website about how to become listed. 

Register to Attend ELD’s January Provider Information Sessions  

Join us in January to learn about the below topics:  

• Capacity Building Grants from Seeding Justice 
• 2023 Legislative Session 
• DELC Timeline and Overview   
• Agency and Program Updates 

Wednesday, January 11 | 6 – 7 p.m. 

All provider types. (Interpretation available)

ZOOM: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_r38gnV1eTn2RkLHsJ6HICg

Thursday, January 12 | 6 – 7 p.m. 

All provider types. (Conducted in Spanish) 

ZOOM: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_arz7isyuSRiqTXbMS1FD7A

This is a virtual event. Registration is required to attend via Zoom. You may submit questions in advance on the registration form. You may also participate on ELD’s Facebook page live stream. 

Note: Attendees using interpretation services (Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and ASL) should join the session via Zoom. 

REMINDERS

• Certified School-Age Rules Webinar Video Series: This webinar video series was created as an introduction to the rules for Certified School-Age Child Care Centers. Watch Part 1 of the series, videos 1 through 6 . The videos cover a variety of topics from center capacity to emergency preparedness to positions and qualifications. Part 2, videos 7 to 13, will be available soon. After watching, please share your feedback on the series by completing this form. For more information and resources, visit oregonearlylearning.com/rules-resources/.  
• The inauguration of Governor Kotek was on Monday, January 9. Watch the recording and hear about the new governor’s vision for Oregon.  
• Finance trainings available to early care and education (ECE) providers: First Children’s Finance (FCF) partnered with ELD to offer training opportunities in December and January for ECE providers to support financial management and grant reporting.  The third session (Spanish language) is on January 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information and to register, visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtcOqorzwsGtOUmJXFKIjbIxv1i-MTUmCC 

NATIONAL THANK YOU DAY

Wednesday, January 11, is National Thank You Day! This is a perfect time to show gratitude to family, volunteers, and staff who help to create a quality learning program for children in your care. Gratitude can be as simple as telling someone “thank you” for their work and efforts or for simply being who they are!  

We at the Early Learning Division thank all who support, create, and improve Oregon’s child care and early learning system. Whether you are a teacher, program staff, partner program, or organizational leader, we know you’re doing important and good work that matters to families and children in our communities.