The Department of Early Learning and Care is seeking applicants for the Outdoor Nature-Based Rules Advisory Committee (RAC)
Updated on December 2, 2024
If you are a child care provider and know a parent or care giver who might be interested in this opportunity, please share this RAC blog post with them.
Participants will be reimbursed for their time and expertise.
During the 2023 legislative session, House Bill 2717 passed and requires the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) to create a pathway to license child care programs that primarily serve children in outdoor settings. CCLD is hosting a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to gather valuable feedback on proposed rules pertaining to outdoor learning environments and identify financial and equity impacts that might result from the proposed rules.
CCLD would like to invite members of the following groups to apply to participate in this RAC:
Directors/representatives of licensed or recorded programs familiar with outdoor learning environments from across the state
Representation from DELC funded early learning programs (Baby Promise, Preschool Promise, Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten, Early Childhood Equity Fund, or Relief Nurseries)
Parents/family members of children who attend ONB programs
Outdoor learning environment subject matter experts and current practitioners
Representatives from culturally specific organizations working with young children
Early Learning Hub representatives
Tribal Nation representatives
Child Care Resource and Referral representatives
Reimbursement:
Participants will be reimbursed for their time and expertise.
September 2024 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates
A Message from the Director
Welcome to the September edition of the Community Newsletter! I cannot believe how quickly this summer flew by. As we return to school after a Labor Day weekend and begin a new year of programming, I hope you have had time to relax and take advantage of the Oregon sunshine. August was another busy month, and there are a few items I wanted to highlight for you all as summer comes to a close.
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Our September Update
Agency Request Budget All agencies are required to release an Agency Request Budget (ARB) for the 2025-27 biennium by September 1, 2024. ARBs are meant to inform the executive branch budget. Our team is working to submit ours and provide an updated webpage with more information by next week. This biennium’s ARB is more closely tied to the forecasted available revenue for next biennium. Based on what we know today, state economists project a limited budget environment for next biennium and agencies are limited to a 1% cap for any new General Fund investments. For DELC, that means a little under $6 million is available for us to propose investments for, outside of any Federal Fund requests. As a new agency, we still have a lot of foundational work to do to meet the needs of the children, families, and providers we serve. Because of this, we have focused these investments on internal operations to help us meet the Governor’s expectations around customer service. We also have some recommended investments to expand our licensing capacity using Federal Funds.
Finally, there were a few areas of priority for the Governor that were exempt from the 1% cap: housing, behavioral health, and education/early literacy. For DELC, that means the Birth Through Five Literacy Plan that was established by the legislature via HB 3198. So, in addition to our operational and licensing requests, we also have a request to promote early literacy supports through existing program infrastructure in response to community input. We have highlighted a number of additional areas that may need investment, but this is just the first phase of the budget development process. The next big milestone will be the Governor’s Recommended Budget, or GRB, which will not be a mirror image of agency ARBs. The GRB will be strengthened and informed by what agencies put forward, balanced to the December forecast (released in November). The GRB will be released on December 1, 2024, and will be the next big piece before the legislative session kicks off next year.
Separate from budget, we are working with legislative counsel to draft potential legislative concepts for technical fixes that could move forward as bills. We’ll receive drafts of those bills in late October and then work to determine whether these concepts are moving forward in the legislative session. If so, those bills would drop in January before the session kicks off. More to come!
Employment Related Day Care During the 2024 legislative session, the legislature allocated an additional $71 million through a Special Purpose Appropriation (SPA) to ensure we are able to pay for service for the families currently enrolled in the ERDC program. Because this program had undergone so many changes in 2023, we wanted to have at least one year of data without any major policy changes to be able to model future budgetary impacts. We’re closing in on that one-year mark since taking over the program on July 1, 2023. The waitlist that went into effect in November 2023 has definitely slowed the growth of the program, although we do see some small, continued growth each month.
We are continuing to track the growth of the caseload and associated budget impacts and will prepare to make a request to the Emergency Board – also known as E-Board – in December for a portion of the SPA. This will enable us to stay within budget for the remainder of the biennium but will not allow us to take families off of the waitlist. We know the critical role that high quality, accessible child care plays in our communities and will continue to balance access to services while working within our available budget.
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The application portal for the Child Care Infrastructure Program opened on Thursday, August 15, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. and closes on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 4:59 p.m.
The application portal* for the Child Care Infrastructure Program opened 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.
Potential applicants who need support completing the application or have questions regarding the CCIF program, please contact the technical assistance providers directly:
Are you considering applying for the Child Care Infrastructure Fund Program grant opportunity? If so the Northwest Native Chamber will be hosting a CCIF Application Support Webinar in collaboration with First Children’s Finance on August 21st from 12-1pm.
*The portal is currently open and accepting applications. Please note that an account will need to be created on the Business Oregon Portal prior to viewing available application opportunities.
The Department of Early Learning and Care is seeking applicants for the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) Rulemaking Committee (RAC)
The Department of Early Learning and Care is seeking applicants for the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) Rulemaking Committee (RAC)
The ERDC program helps families who are working, in school, or receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) pay for child care.
Apply today to give input on the ERDC program!
We are seeking diverse voices to represent groups within Oregon’s Early Learning system. Committee members may include:
Families
Child Care Providers, including those who accept subsidy
Child Care Provider Union representatives
Child Care Resource & Referral representatives
Early Learning Hub representatives
Representatives from advocacy organizations
Representatives from culturally specific, community-based organizations
Tribal Nation representatives
Reimbursement:
Participants will be reimbursed for their time dedicated to this RAC and will positively impact Oregon’s children, families, early learning programs, and communities.
DELC is conducting our first annual Customer Service Satisfaction Survey. This year’s survey is for early care and education providers, program grantees, Tribal organizations, and other external partners.
DELC is conducting our first annual Customer Service Satisfaction Survey. This year’s survey is for early care and education providers, program grantees, Tribal organizations, and other external partners (e.g., research organizations).
The information collected in this survey will be used to help improve DELC’s customer service.
We are asking DELC customers to take our Customer Service Survey.
Do you work in a program that provides direct care to children in Oregon?
Are you a program that accepts Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) subsidy payments?
Are you funded by DELC to support early learning and care at a regional level (CCR&R and Early Learning Hub, other DELC partners)?
Are you funded by one of DELC’s programs, such as Preschool Promise or the Early Childhood Equity Fund, to provide services and care to children in Oregon?
Have you helped support or work on research for Oregon’s Early Learning System?
Are you a Tribal member and part of work that impacts Oregon’s Early Learning System?
Make sure to keep our little ones safe by staying updated on the latest air quality information. Monitor weather conditions and other hazards, including air quality emergencies.
Make sure to keep our little ones safe by staying updated on the latest air quality information. Monitor weather conditions and other hazards, including air quality emergencies.
Join our Family Child Care Rules Advisory Committee (RAC)
The Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) is revising the Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) that apply to Certified Family and Registered Family Child Care Homes. CCLD will create a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to gather valuable feedback on proposed rules and identify financial and equity effects that might result from the proposed updates.
CCLD would like to invite members of the following groups to apply to participate in this RAC:
Parents/family members of children in family child care programs
Certified Family Child Care Providers
Registered Family Child Care Providers
Child Care Provider Union Representatives
Child Care Resource and Referral Representatives
Early Learning HUB Representatives
Tribal Nation Representatives
Reimbursement:
Participants will be reimbursed for their time and expertise.
The application period opens on August 2, 2024 and closes on August 23, 2024.
Meeting Details:
Meetings will begin in September. Four meetings will be held. The meetings will be virtual. Meeting days and times will be finalized with the selected participants.
Additional questions?
For questions about participation, please contact Carol Petersen, at carol.a.petersen@delc.oregon.gov
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First Children’s Finance is hosting focus group sessions in August to hear from child care business owners about the experience of starting a child care business in Oregon.
First Children’s Finance is hosting focus group sessions in August to hear from child care business owners about the experience of starting a child care business in Oregon. The focus groups are for child care business owners who opened their program in the last two years or those currently in the process of starting a new child care business. Insights from these sessions will be used to inform recommendations made to state officials about how to better support child care business owners in the critical years after launch. Participants will be compensated $25 for their time and can only participate in one focus group session.
The focus group sessions in August will take place on Monday, August 26th at 6:00PM and Wednesday, August 28th at 6:00PM. Registration is now closed.
You can visit First Children’s Finance Oregon State Office webpage for more information and access other child care business resources at https://www.firstchildrensfinance.org/oregon/.
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You are invited to join the Provider Management Platform Engagement Session
The creation of DELC brought together the Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) and the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program into the same new agency. Both are using 20+ year-old legacy systems. DELC is designing a new Provider Management Platform that will integrate CCLD licensing and the ERDC program into one system. The Provider Management Platform will allow child care providers to login and access certain licensing information, complete licensing applications, and track training requirements. Additionally, ERDC providers will be able to login and complete and submit billing forms using the Provider Management Platform. While we are designing this new Provider Management Platform, we want to hear what would be helpful to you to manage ERDC and Licensing.
If you are interested in participating in an Engagement Session for this new system, please register for an engagement based on the type of care you provide. You can register here.
Certified Centers & School Age programs
Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. or
Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.
Licensed Exempt ERDC providers
Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. (interpretation available)
Certified and Registered Family providers
Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. (interpretation available)
If you are unable to attend any of these times, there will be additional opportunities in the future.
August 2024 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates
A Message from the Director
Welcome to the July Edition of Chatterjee Chats! This month represented a big milestone with the celebration of One Year of DELC! This past year has been a blur of activity – we have accomplished so much together, and there is still more work to do. Here are some reflections from me as we close out the month and head into Year Two 😊
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Our August Update
Customer Service Survey As a new agency, we will be launching our first DELC Customer Service Survey in August. If you have received funding from us, called our customer service team, been licensed or interacted with us in any way – we want to hear from you! While all agencies are required to conduct a customer service survey, we are particularly excited to hear from you as we’ve offered services as DELC. This survey should take you less than five minutes, and any feedback you share with us will help us operationalize our value for continuous improvement. For more information, please check out our website: Department of Early Learning and Care : About Us : State of Oregon
Budget Development This will continue to be a topic here for awhile! We are entering the last month of Agency Request Budget (ARB) development. ARB will be released by September 1, 2024. Given the current revenue forecast, our ARB requests will be smaller compared to last biennium, but it is just the first step in the process and there is still a lot of work to do before the Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB) is released in December.
Legislative Concepts In addition to budget development, another part of preparing for the Legislative Session is preparing legislative concepts (LCs) for consideration. While ARB will be released in September, LCs will take a bit more time. We won’t expect to receive a draft of our legislative concepts until late October, and we will have a very short turnaround (a few days). From there, our legislative concepts will still need to be reviewed and approved by the Governor’s Office prior to release. More information to come, but this is still in the works.
Tribal-State Government-to-Government Summit On July 24, DELC’s Tribal Affairs Director, Paulina Whitehat and I had the great pleasure of attending the 2024 Tribal-State Government-to-Government Summit, co-hosted by Governor Tina Kotek and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The summit took place in Canyonville at Seven Feathers Casino Resort. Tribal leaders of Oregon’s nine federally recognized sovereign Tribal nations along with staff from multiple state agencies discussed a range of issues including evolving best practices in Tribal consultation approaches, indigenous ecological knowledge, and topics related to economic and sustainable futures. It was wonderful to see so many colleagues and partners in person, and the summit is always an informative and moving event. We are deeply appreciative of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe for hosting this year’s gathering.
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