November 2026 Community Newsletter

November 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

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This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

Happy fall! I can’t believe another month has come to a close. I hope you all have enjoyed the unusually warm October weather as we finally head into some rain. I know it made our pumpkin patch trip much easier to plan! Below are a few things I wanted to highlight.

Head Start Awareness Month

Governor Kotek proclaimed October as Head Start Awareness Month. In honor of Head Start’s legacy, DELC staff visited with Suey Linzmeier, who is the executive director of Head Start of Yamhill County. You can read the full press release and watch Suey’s incredible and heartfelt Head Start story by visiting the DELC Blog .

Early Childhood Priorities

Governor Kotek met with early childhood leaders and parents to discuss the need for expanded access to infant-toddler care and universal preschool. Our Policy and Strategy Director, Carey McCann, and I were invited to listen to the conversation and tour Harmony Montessori, an early childhood program that currently participates in Employment Related Day Care, Preschool Promise, and Multnomah County’s Preschool for All. This is exciting and ambitious work led by the Governor’s Office and the Early Childhood Care and Learning Systems Roundtable, and DELC will continue to inform the process through staffing and through Carey’s role as a Roundtable member.

Champions for Children

I was able to join DELC staff at Children’s Institute’s 2026 Champions for Children luncheon. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time in a room full of people who believe in and support early learning and care. Chief Executive Officer Kali Thorne Ladd reminded us of the importance of early relational health and increasing access to resources for all children and families, noting that this information “should not be reserved for the privileged few, but available to all Oregonians.” It was an inspiring afternoon that helped reground me in the important work we do everyday at DELC!

ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference, 2026

This year the ZERO TO THREE LEARN conference was hosted in Portland and provided a wonderful opportunity for the early education community to learn, connect, strategize, and gain new insights. Several DELC teams sent representatives from across the agency to attend and present on panels. Teams connected with other early learning providers to find better ways to support young children and families. Practical tools were shared at dozens of sessions focused on topics such as infant and early childhood mental health, artificial intelligence, home visiting, and workforce well-being. The keynote by Steve Burns focused on strategies to prevent burnout and the importance of early learning practitioners taking time to care for themselves while caring for others.

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October 2026 Community Newsletter

October 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

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.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

Another month has flown by – Maya just turned one and I am excited to head into fall with lots of work ahead. Here are a few things that are top of mind for me.

Community Baby Shower

Treasurer-Steiner-and-Director-Chatterjee

This month I visited a community baby shower in McMinnville with my family, it was wonderful being able to connect with local families as well as the local Early Learning Hub. A part of the visit included supporting State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner as she announced a $100 Baby Grad bonus for parents who open an education savings account before their child’s first birthday. The event provided families with resources, education, and infant essentials to help give children the strongest possible start in life.  

For more information about the Baby Grad $100 incentive, families can visit embarksavings.com/baby-grad to learn more about Embark, Oregon’s official 529 education savings program.

Oregon ELMS Phased Launch

Thank you for your continued partnership as Oregon prepares to launch the Oregon Early Learning Management System (Oregon ELMS). The new online platform will make it easier and faster for child care providers to access information, complete paperwork, get updates, and more.  Providers told us they need more time to prepare, and our system partners asked for more time to learn the new platforms so they can support you along the way. In order to be responsive to this feedback, we are moving to a phased launch of the system. DELC staff and some system partners will start to use select features of Oregon ELMS this fall. System partners and child care providers received an announcement about this change directly this month.

Head Start Awareness Month

This month is Head Start Awareness Month! Governor Kotek issued a statewide proclamation officially designating October as Head Start Awareness Month. Head Start has been serving children and families across the country since 1965. Recognizing the tremendous impact of the program, Oregon created in 1987 the Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten program (Oregon Prekindergarten at the time) to extend the federal Head Start model with state funds. Now, thousands of families are benefiting from these services across the state. For more information, read the press release.   

Agency Request Budget

DELC has submitted the 2027-29 Agency Request Budget (ARB) for the agency. All agencies were required to submit this by August 31st as a part of the starting point in the broader budget process for all state agencies. This was a difficult budget to develop, given that, statewide budget instructions required agencies to submit revenue neutral requests. This means that any new request proposed by state agencies must be funded using existing revenue. This is the first time in over 10 years this frame has been used, due to statewide revenue challenges and federal conditions. DELC focused on identifying foundational supports essential to effectively serve the early learning and care sector.  All content within the DELC ARB are proposals and not final decisions. To review  the DELC 2027-29 ARB, please visit the DELC website.

Legislative Days

September Legislative Days were held from September 8-10 this year. The legislature announced the formation of a new committee – the House Early Childhood Committee – in addition to the Senate Early Childhood and Behavioral Health Committee. DELC got the opportunity to provide some grounding context on the history of DELC to the House on September 8^th, before sharing some information on Child Care Resource & Referrals on September 9^th. To watch the committee recordings you can visit OLIS: Senate Early Childhood & House Early Childhood.

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The Department of Early Learning and Care is seeking applicants for the Employment-Related Day Care Rulemaking Committee (RAC)

DELC seeks applicants for the ERDC Rulemaking Committee to review proposed updates improving clarity, policies, provider requirements, and family child care support.

The Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program helps families pay for child care and registration fees. Initially, families may qualify if they are working, attending school, receiving cash assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – TANF), on medical leave from employment or school, or participating in certain programs with Child Welfare.

ERDC is a subsidy program. This means families may still pay part of the child care cost. This is called a copay. The monthly copay is based on family size and income. ERDC also works with partners across the state to help families find and keep child care.

The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is proposing changes to five rules to clean up language and ensure that the language is easy to read and understand. This includes updating provider rates, adding policy regarding Every Child Belongs (ECB) for providers and updating the requirement to allow providers to store controlled substances under a child safety device or lock.

414-175-0035; Specific Financial Requirements
Rule is being updated to clarify that earned shelter-in-kind income is counted as earned income for ERDC.

414-175-0040; Prospective Eligibility and Budgeting
Rule is being updated to remove some unnecessary words.

414-175-0075; Child Care Provider Eligibility Standards Payments Rates, Payment Limits, and Payable Hours
Rule is being updated to reflect new provider rates negotiated with both child care unions.

414-175-0080; Eligibility of Child Care Providers
Rule is being updated to add a requirement for providers to Contact Every Child Belongs (ECB) when a young child is facing potential expulsion. Rule is also being updated to clarify that controlled substances on site must be stored under a child safety lock or device or in a locked room.

414-175-0085; Direct Provider Payments
Rule is being updated to change listed to approved to align with ELMS terminology and to clarify that the IRS identification number must be for the business and not an individual

Click here to access the Rulemaking Advisory Committee Application

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Two self-paced module training series: Managing Behavioral Escalations & Connections

The Oregon DELC is launching two free professional development series for child care providers to enhance understanding of behavior and improve relationships with families.

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) is launching two new free professional development series to help child care providers better understand behavior, respond to escalations, and build stronger relationships with children and families.

The optional self-paced courses will be available through the Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD) learning platform. The courses are approved for ORO credit in the Understanding and Guiding Behavior Set One category.

The new series were created to give child care professionals practical tools and strategies they can use in early learning settings. Courses will be available in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, English, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Managing Behavioral Escalations Series

All five modules in the Managing Behavioral Escalations Series are now available.

The first series focuses on understanding and responding to challenging behaviors in early learning settings. The five-module series is designed to be taken in order so participants can practice and apply strategies between modules.

Topics include:

Each module takes about 1 to 1½ hours to complete and includes activities providers can use in their own programs.

Connections Series

The second series focuses on building strong relationships and support systems to support children and their families.

Topics include:

Understand Behaviors As Connection
Teamwork – Connections With Families
Connections During Uncomfortable Conversations
Connections matter: Creating Systems of Support – September 28

Designed for Providers

Early reviewers shared positive feedback about how easy the training is to understand and how useful it is for providers.

“These modules will be an excellent resource for early learning providers,” one reviewer shared. “The information is so relatable.”

Another reviewer shared that it can be difficult to find research-based training about managing escalating behaviors and appreciated having more accessible learning opportunities.

The series were designed to be practical, approachable, and accessible for providers across Oregon.

More information, including registration details, will be shared through DELC and OCCD channels as modules become available.

Click here to Access The Modules

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Give Your Child a Head Start with Embark

Oregon’s Embark 529 education savings plan encourages parents to save for their child’s education, offering a $100 bonus for accounts opened before their first birthday.

As a parent, you’re already investing in your child’s future every day. Embark, Oregon’s 529 education savings plan, can help you take the next step by making it easy to save for your child’s future education. Even small contributions can have a big impact. Students with an education savings account are 2.5 times more likely to pursue education beyond high school than those with nothing set aside.

To help families get started, Oregon provides a $100 Baby Grad bonus when you open an Embark account before your child’s first birthday. It’s a great way to give your child’s education savings a boost from the very beginning.

Visit embarksavings.com/baby-grad to learn more about Embark including why today is the perfect day to start saving.

Déle un impulso significativo a su hijo con Embark

Ya estás invirtiendo en el futuro de su hijo todos los días. Embark, el plan de ahorro educativo (529) de Oregón, puede ayudarle a dar el siguiente paso para ahorrar para la futura educación de su hijo. Incluso las pequeñas contribuciones pueden tener un gran impacto. Los estudiantes que cuentan con una cuenta de ahorro para la educación tienen 2.5 veces más probabilidades de continuar sus estudios después de la escuela secundaria que aquellos que no tienen ahorros.

Para ayudar a las familias a comenzar, Oregón proporciona una contribucion automatica de $100 llamada “el bono Baby Grad” al abrir una cuenta Embark antes de que su hijo cumpla su primer año. Es una excelente manera de impulsar el ahorro educativo de su hijo desde el principio.

Visita embarksavings.com/baby-grad para obtener más información sobre Embark y descubrir por qué hoy es el día perfecto para empezar a ahorrar.

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Honoring Orange Shirt Day – Every Child Matters

Orange Shirt Day on September 30 honors Indigenous children affected by boarding schools, promoting remembrance, healing, and action to support their identities and communities.

Later this month on September 30, we recognize Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance, reflection, and resilience. It honors the Indigenous children who were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools and residential schools across Oregon and the United States, as well as Canada. These institutes were designed to forcibly assimilate Native American children by erasing their identities, languages, and cultures.

Orange Shirt Day is rooted in the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at a residential school. That simple act became powerful symbol of the loss of identity, dignity, and belonging experienced by thousands of Indigenous children.

The message “Every Child Matters” is more than a remembrance of the past, it is a call to action. It reminds us that every child deserves to be safe, valued, and supported in their identity. For us at DELC, this message is especially meaningful. As public servants dedicated to the well-being of children and families, we have a responsibility to understand the historical and intergenerational trauma caused by these systems, and to ensure that our work actively supports healing, equity, and justice.

DELC has included honoring and recognizing Tribal Sovereignty as a top priority. In this goal, DELC seeks to create training and resources for staff and partners to learn about the Native American experience, enhance and share educational resources, and much more.

While we acknowledge the deep and lasting harm caused by these schools, we also uplift the strength, courage, and enduring spirit of survivors, their families, and communities. As we honor Orange Shirt Day, we encourage you to take time to learn more about this history, reflect on its ongoing impact, and consider how we can each contribute to a future where all children are honored, protected, and empowered.

Office of Tribal Affairs Department of Early Learning and Care

Core Educational Resources

U.S. National Resources
1. Orange Shirt Day: Honoring Indigenous Children and Building a Path of Reconciliation
  1. A detailed overview of the movement’s history, meaning, and how it is observed across the U.S.
  2. Offers guidance on:
  3. Hosting events
  4. Engaging in meaningful reflection
  5. Supporting Indigenous-led initiatives
  6. Read the Full Article
2. Alaska Children’s Trust – Orange Shirt Day Toolkit
  1. Provides a downloadable educator toolkit for schools, families, and communities.
  2. Includes:
    1. Lesson plans
    2. Videos (e.g., Molly of Denali episode “Grandpa’s Drum”)
    3. Activities for children
    4. Community event ideas
  3. Access the Toolkit
Oregon-Based Resources
1. Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) – Orange Shirt Day Hub
  1. Offers a comprehensive press kit with:
    1. Background on the Federal Indian Boarding School system in Oregon
    2. Virtual meeting backgrounds
    3. Social media templates and hashtags
    4. Suggested captions and personal reflection prompts
  2. Includes links to:
    1. Phyllis Webstad’s picture book
    2. Chemawa Indian School history
    3. Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center
  3. Explore ODHS Orange Shirt Day Resources
2. Oregon Department of Justice
  1. Encourages staff to wear orange and reflect on the impact of residential and Indian boarding schools.
  2. Promotes reconciliation and understanding through public awareness.
  3. View DOJ Announcement
3. Columbia Gorge Education Service District
  1. Highlights Oregon’s direct connection to boarding school history, including schools in Warm Springs, Siletz, Grand Ronde, Klamath, Umatilla, and Chemawa.
  2. Emphasizes the importance of remembrance and education in schools and communities.
  3. Read More
Canadian Resources
1. Orange Shirt Society Resource Hub Offers:
  1. Historical context of Indian Boarding Schools and residential schools
  2. Printable resources and videos
  3. Sample agendas for community events
  4. Activities for children and youth

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Opportunity for families to share their child care experiences with the 2026 Household Survey

Oregon families with young children are encouraged to participate in a survey on child care experiences for a chance to receive a $25 gift e-card.

We need your help to reach real families within your program and community!

The Department of Early Learning and Care has partnered with Portland State University and OSLC Developments, Inc. to hear directly from Oregon families. Parents and caregivers of young children in Oregon are invited to complete a survey about their experience searching for and using child care.

All eligible parents and caregivers who complete the survey will receive a $25 gift e-card! One card per family. You can make sure families within your program receive a flyer and have the opportunity to participate in the survey!

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) becoming more common, it is harder for surveys like this one to get into the hands of real people (rather than bots and scammers). So this year, we are handing out paper flyers with instructions on how to access the survey all throughout communities in Oregon in hopes of reaching real families with young children.

If you have not yet received any flyers in the mail, you can request some be mailed to you. Email pdg@oslc.org to request survey flyers to share with families in your program!

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The Department of Early Learning and Care is seeking applicants for the Central Background Registry Rulemaking Committee (RAC)

DELC seeks applicants for the CBR Rulemaking Committee to review updates aligning background checks with federal standards, enhancing child safety, transparency, and supervision clarity.

The purpose of this rulemaking is to update the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care’s (DELC) Central Background Registry (CBR) requirements to fully align with federal standards, which mandates FBI fingerprint-based background checks. These updates require the FBI fingerprint results before an individual may be granted Conditional Enrollment status in the CBR. This change states when a CBR applicant may be conditionally enrolled while their application is being processed. The rules will also clarify who must supervise someone who is conditionally enrolled when they are working with children in child care settings. The rules for the CBR, licensed child care facilities and recorded programs will be updated to reflect these updates.

This rulemaking also aims to increase transparency, strengthen safeguards for children and provide clearer guidance to caregivers, providers, and community members on expectations for background checks and supervised access.

The Rule Advisory Committee (RAC) provides caregivers, providers, community members and union representatives with a structured setting to receive updates on proposed rule changes, ask questions and share feedback.

Click here to access the Rulemaking Advisory Committee Applications

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September 2026 Community Newsletter

September 2026 Department of Early Learning and Care Updates.

A Message from leadership

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.

This month’s update from Director Alyssa Chatterjee

It’s back to school time for many programs and families, and I’m getting ready to celebrate Maya’s first birthday! I’m not sure where the time has gone, but as we head into the fall there are a few things that are top of mind that I’d like to share with you.

Remembering the tremendous impact of Dolly Parton

First, I wanted to take a moment to talk about Dolly. Last week there was an outpouring of heartache around the news of the passing of Dolly Parton. Oregon’s flags were flown at half-staff in her honor, and folks around the world shared the impact Dolly had on them. Beyond her music, Dolly gave millions of children the gift of reading.

AT DELC, we were honored to partner together through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL), the book-gifting early literacy program recently expanded to be available in every county statewide. As a result, every child from birth until age five can receive one free, age-appropriate book delivered directly to their home each month, regardless of income ensuring children across Oregon can access free books that support their literacy and lay the foundation for lifelong learning. You can read more about this impactful work and watch Dolly’s video remarks about Oregon on the DPIL landing page.

Here in Oregon, Dolly’s dream now reaches every zip code – putting books in the hands of tens of thousands of young readers. Her belief was simple: every child deserves to fall in love with reading. We’re honored to continue to carry her legacy forward.

Caring Communities Tours

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining the Caring Communities Tour with the Marion & Polk region for a community engagement-focused day centered on partnerships and initiatives strengthening early childhood systems for children and families. Together, we spent the day exploring themes of community partnerships, workforce development, early literacy, and kindergarten readiness, and I left excited about what we can learn from our communities to inform state work.

A sincere thank-you to the many partners who shared their time and their work – including teams from Salem for Refugees, Child Care Resource & Referral of Marion, Polk & Yamhill, Willamette Education Service District, Marion Polk Early Learning Hub, and Willamette Health Council – for the meaningful conversations and your ongoing commitment to Oregon’s children and families.

Agency Request Budget

It’s finally here! The DELC 2027-29 Agency Request Budget (ARB) is now available on our website. While the revenue environment means that we aren’t asking for a lot, this is a wonderful opportunity to share more about who we are becoming as DELC and what we need to be successful. Next up, the Governor will consider all ARBs alongside available revenue as she develops the Governor’s Recommended Budget by December 1st.