CCU-March-2025 – News & Information

New How-to Videos To Help People Manage Their ONE Online Accounts

The Oregon Department of Human Services released three new how-to videos for assisting individuals with identity verification and account access issues for their ONE Online benefits management account, available in English and Spanish.

Updated on March 18, 2025

Navigating benefits just got easier. The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Oregon Eligibility Partnership (OEP) has released three new how-to videos to help people verify their identity, regain access and solve login issues for their ONE Online account.

A ONE Online account is where people can manage medical, food, cash, and child care benefits all in one place. These new videos address some of the most common issues people face when using the system:

Proving your identity
How to unlock your account or regain access
Resolving account errors

The videos are available in English and Spanish on the ODHS YouTube page, and the ODHS Office of Communications will be sharing news releases in both languages.

These resources are designed to make accessing benefits easier and faster. Please share the video links with your networks to ensure more people can get the help they need.

Watch the videos now on the ODHS YouTube page or find them on our website under How-to Videos.

English YouTube links

Proving your identity

Unlock your account or regain access

Resolving account errors

Spanish YouTube links

Cómo Verificar Su Identidad para Crear Su Cuenta en Línea de ONE

Cómo Recuperar el Acceso a Su Cuenta en Línea de ONE

¿Problemas para Iniciar Sesión en Su Cuenta en Línea de ONE?

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Oregon Child Care Infrastructure Fund: $15M In Grants Open

Business Oregon and DELC announce the second round of the Child Care Infrastructure Fund, opening March 26, 2025, with $15 million available for applications until April 30, 2025.

Updated on March 31, 2025

Business Oregon and DELC are excited to announce that the second round of the Child Care Infrastructure Fund (CCIF) will be opening on Wednesday, March 26th, 2025, at 12:00pm! This round will consist of $15 million in grant funding for infrastructure projects that further the wellbeing of children and families in Oregon. Applications for Round Two must be submitted by 4:59pm on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025. Updated grant materials will be available on Business Oregon’s website by March 21st, 2025, and can be found here: Business Oregon : Child Care Infrastructure Program : Child Care Infrastructure Program : State of Oregon

If you are interested in applying for the second round of CCIF funding and are in need of technical assistance support, please reach out to the technical assistance providers directly:

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

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Request for Applications for Preschool Promise

The Department of Early Learning and Care will release a Request for Applications this Spring for several Early Learning Hub Regions, allowing eligible applicants to join the Preschool Promise Eligible Providers list.

Updated on March 17, 2025

The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) is preparing to release a Request for Applications (RFA) this Spring for the following Early Learning Hub Regions:

Blue Mountain Early Learning Hub 
Early Learning Hub of Clackamas County 
Four Rivers Family Early Learning and Parenting 
Early Childhood Hub of Lane County 
Early Learning Hub of Linn, Benton & Lincoln Counties 
Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub, Inc. 
Southern Oregon Early Learning Services (Recently Added)

This opportunity allows eligible applicants to be included on the Preschool Promise Eligible Providers list for the 2025-2027 biennium.

Click Here for the RFA Site

Interested? Subscribe to DELC’s Future Funding Opportunities email list for updates! Learn more on our website at https://www.oregon.gov/delc/programs/Pages/psp-rfa-directory.aspx#Current

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ERDC Provider Payment Engagement Opportunity

The Department of Early Learning and Care is drafting policies for child care subsidy payments under new federal rules. Child care providers are invited to provide feedback by April 20, 2025.

Updated on March 17, 2025

The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) is drafting policies necessary to comply with new rules from the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) regarding child care subsidy payments. In Oregon, this subsidy program is called Employment Related Day Care (ERDC).

It is important to us that we hear from child care providers who would be impacted by the way Oregon implements these changes. Please complete this feedback form to share your thoughts.

The form will be open until April 20th, 2025 at 11:59 PM

Feedback Form

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Your Voice Matters: 2nd Annual Child Care Business Survey Coming March 2025

First Children’s Finance is conducting a Child Care Business Sustainability Survey in March 2025, inviting Oregon child care providers to share insights. Participating earns a gift card, aiding vital business support.

Corrected on March 18, 2025

Help us shape the future of child care in Oregon! First Children’s Finance is conducting our 2nd Annual Child Care Business Sustainability Survey to better understand the financial and operational challenges and opportunities facing your business. Share your experiences and opinions on workforce, facilities, funding, and more in our short survey launching in March 2025. Your insight will help us identify areas where additional business support is needed and inform our programs and initiatives across the state. As a token of our appreciation, the first 100 providers to complete the survey will receive a gift card. Look for the survey link in your email inbox during the week of March 24th.

This survey focuses on the financial and operational health of child care businesses. All owners and administrators who make business decisions for their family child care or center-based program are encouraged to participate.

Why Your Input Matters:

Decision makers, including the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care, want to know how economic conditions, workforce challenges, and public funding impact your business.
Business support organizations, like First Children’s Finance, want to provide services that meet the changing needs of child care businesses in Oregon.

Survey Details:

Takes about 25 minutes to complete.
Available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Your responses are anonymous unless you choose to share your information.
Tell us about any big (or small) changes your child care experienced in 2024.
First Children’s Finance are offering $15 gift card incentives for the first 100 verified and completed surveys. For child care business owners or administrators who operate multiple child care programs, please complete the survey for one program only.

Public Funding Navigation Resource

First Children’s Finance has created a comprehensive resource to help child care businesses navigate Oregon’s public funding programs Building Strong Business Practices: A Public Funding Navigation Resource for Child Care Business Owners in Oregon.

For child care business owners who have already secured public funding, this guide helps them build strong systems to meet funding program compliance requirements, manage finances, and stay on top of program monitoring. Developed with input from funding administrators, child care support organizations, and business owners, it offers practical guidance to help businesses sustain their funding and operations.

Access the guide here: https://www.firstchildrensfinance.org/oregon/

Available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

Thank you for your dedication to this vital work! If you need assistance, please reach out to the FCF Oregon State Office at InfoOregon@firstchildrensfinance.org.

Conference Save the Date

First Children’s Finance Oregon is thrilled to announce the first annual FCF Oregon Child Care Business Conference: Essentials of Excellence, designed for Oregon child care business owners who want to strengthen their operations, finances, and enrollment.

Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Where: Willamette Heritage Center; 1313 Mill St SE, Salem, OR 97301
Cost: $35 until April 15: $50 from April 16-May 24

Registration coming soon!

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DELC’s Legislative Update: Tracking Key Bills for Early Learning

The 83rd Legislative Session began on January 21st with the DELC Government Affairs team tracking over 3,000 bills, prioritizing early childhood legislation. Three priority bills received public hearings, focusing on children’s literacy, child care licensing flexibility, and Tribal early learning support.

Updated on March 3, 2025

The 83^rd Legislative Session kicked off on January 21 and the DELC Government Affairs team have been busy reading and tracking bills, preparing for presentations in committees, and meeting with legislators and advocates. Over 3,000 bills have already been introduced, our team has been analyzing bills that have an impact on early childhood and DELC. Even though numerous bills have been introduced, more than half will die in committees and will not advance further in the legislative process.

Keeping a bill alive is one of the most important aspects during the session because there are many steps to take as a bill eventually becomes law. We are proud to report that all three of DELC’s priority bills are alive and in fact, all of them has received a public hearing in the House Early Childhood and Human Services Committee. Our 2025 Legislative Agenda focuses on strengthening our existing work and also creating new opportunities to more equitably serve all of our children, families, and early learning professionals. Here’s our three priority bills this session and where they stand:

HB 2811: Continuing of DELC’s statewide Imagination Library of Oregon Program, a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five, regardless of family income. The bill received a public hearing and was joined by many supports including the Dollywood Foundation and community partners. It passed unanimously out of committee and is now in the Ways and Means Subcommittee where we wait to see when it will be voted on.

HB 2814: Licensing statute alignment- this is a technical bill designed to improve flexibility in the child care licensing process through waivers by reducing administrative barriers, allowing the Department of Early Learning and& Care to test new options, streamlining paperwork, supporting providers in underserved areas, and ensuring efficient operations, all while maintaining safeguards for child care. The bill received a public hearing, and we are currently waiting on the work session date.

HB 2815: The Tribal Early Learning Plan and Fund, centers the Tribal sovereignty and self-determination to support language and culture revitalization, professional development, to meet Tribal early learning and child care goals. The Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) recommends additional funding for the Tribal Early Learning Fund to center Tribal sovereignty and expand access to early learning and care activities within Tribal nations. The bill received a public hearing and we especially want to thank some of our Tribal leaders and partners for providing testimony; thank you to TAC Co-Chair, Julie Siestreem, Education Department Manager with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Angela Fasana, and written testimony from other Tribes.

HB 3818: Early Childhood Suspension & Expulsion Prevention– Shifting the focus of enforcement to focusing on required inclusive practices in child care licensing. This bill will require all licensed and DELC-funded programs to contact the Prevention Program and receive services before removing a child from care. It was just first read on February 27, and we will wait for a committee assignment.

In addition to our policy bills, we will also be preparing series of presentations for our DELC Budget, SB 5514 in the Joint Ways & Means Subcommittee on Education from March 3-6. During these four days, we will talk about our programs and services, take a deeper dive into our budget, and take questions from legislators.

Questions? Contact: DELC Government Affairs team, DELC.GovAffairs@DELC.oregon.gov.

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March 2025 Community Newsletter

March 2025 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from the Director

Legislative session is keeping us on our toes! As we inch closer to Spring, I have some updates to share with you all.

Do you want to receive this update in your email? Sign up for our Community Newsletter and Child Care Updates twice monthly send by subscribing here.

Our March Update

Monitoring Federal Impacts

At DELC, we continue to have access to federal funds and are actively coordinating with our Head Start programs to ensure continued access to their funding as well. As of March 3, all programs are accessing funding.

In addition to monitoring funds, we have established an internal Incident Response Team to track and analyze any new federal guidance and the potential impact to DELC. This is a new structure being led by our Chief Auditor as part of our broader Enterprise Risk Management framework to identify, assess, and respond to risks that may impact DELC’s strategic objectives.

DELC leadership has also reiterated our unwavering commitment to proactively ensuring Sanctuary laws are adhered to. As we prepare for more potential changes in the enforcement of federal immigration policies, we know community members are eager for resources and information. In case you missed it, we sent out a special message with resources. You can view it on our website: Oregon Sanctuary Laws & Early Learning Resources.

Maintaining our Commitments

DELC remains committed to ensuring all children, families, early care and education providers, and communities are supported and empowered to thrive. That means ensuring children are cared for in inclusive, quality child care settings that meet their needs, providing trainings and resources in a variety of languages, and ensuring access to services across all communities.

Legislative Session

This legislative session continues to move quickly! There is a lot of interest in early learning and child care from the legislature, and many DELC subject matter experts continue to testify before committees each week. Starting March 3, we are kicking off our big budget presentation. This is 4 days of DELC presentation and public testimony to talk about the functions, work, and goals of DELC. We will be focusing on our work in the context of three primary goals:

Keep kids healthy and safe in care
Increase access to care & set foundational early literacy skills
Provide strong customer service and be accountable for public funds

Bills are still trickling in, and the next big deadline is March 21 for bills be posted for a work session. Until then, we will continue to be responsive to requests and keep an eye on our bills.

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Get Free Help Filing Your Taxes

In 2025, an estimated 640,000 Oregon taxpayers can e-file their federal and state returns for free using IRS Direct File and Direct File Oregon.

Updated on March 3, 2025

The IRS estimates that 640,000 Oregon taxpayers will be among the 32 million US taxpayers who will be able to use the combination of IRS Direct File and Direct File Oregon in 2025 to e-file both their federal and state returns for free.

To find out if you qualify, taxpayers can use the IRS eligibility screener. You’ll be asked a few simple questions about the types of income you report on their tax return and a few more about credits and subtractions you claim.

The IRS first offered a direct file option as part of a pilot program in 12 states in the second half of the 2024 tax season. Oregon, which offered the state-only Direct File Oregon option in 2024, was the first of 13 new states to accept an invitation to join the permanent program from the IRS in June.

Any Oregon resident taxpayer who is eligible to use IRS Direct File in 2025 and is not a first-time filer in Oregon will be able to seamlessly connect to Direct File Oregon to file their state income tax return.

Free filing assistance is available for Oregon taxpayers who need help filling out their tax returns. Help is offered through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCA) and other community organizations. Taxpayers who need help can use the interactive map on Department of Revenue’s Get free help filing your taxes webpage.

The IRS’s VITA and TCE programs offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals. Low- to moderate-income taxpayers can also access preparation services through AARP and CASH Oregon. United Way also offers free tax help through their MyFreeTaxes program. More information on these options is available on the Department of Revenue website.