Tag: early childhood education

Kindergarten: It’s that time of the year!  

As the school year approaches, many young children and families are getting ready for their move from preschool to kindergarten. This experience is also called “kindergarten readiness.” But what does Kindergarten Readiness mean? And how does the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) support kindergarten readiness for Oregon’s families?

What is Kindergarten Readiness? 

Kindergarten readiness includes schools, caregivers, families, and children working together for a positive kindergarten year and a successful future of learning!  

Raising an eager learner is the goal, and it can be achieved through play and day-to-day activities.  

DELC’s Programs support Kindergarten Readiness! 

The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) offers programs that support children and families while also nurturing the growth of the whole child.  

These programs include: 

  • Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten 
  • Preschool Promise 
  • Home visiting programs like 
  • Healthy Families Oregon and  
  • Relief Nurseries 

Simply put, kindergarten readiness helps children have the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in school and for later learning and life.  

These are guidelines on skills that will support children in school. Every child is different and will learn at their own pace and in their own way. 

Kindergarten Readiness looks like:  

Approaches to Learning 
Children who are able to follow rules and routines with increased independence. 

Physical skills 
Children are able to hold and use a pencil or crayon, able to run, and jump with increased independence, 

Language and literacy 
Children are able to recognize and write their name, identify letters and numbers, and be familiar with basic sight words with increased independence. 

Math 
Children are able to identify numbers and count to 10 or recognize and create patterns with increased independence. 

Social and emotional skills 
Children are able to share with others, manage emotions, and resolve conflicts with peers with increased independence. 

For more information on the domains of learning and development, please reference the Oregon’s Early Learning and Kindergarten Guidelines. 

Department of Early Learning and Care to oversee programs and services related to early education and child care throughout Oregon


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2023

New agency positions the state as a national leader in designing early learning and care systems to better meet the needs of children and families

SALEM, ORE – The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) officially launched July 1, 2023, aiming to unify, strengthen, and expand Oregon’s early learning and care system for families and child care professionals. The agency brings together the Early Learning Division (ELD) and Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program to create one central agency for early care and education policy and program administration.

“This is an historic step to ensure Oregon’s families and child care professionals get the resources, services, and programs they need to thrive,” said Alyssa Chatterjee, DELC Director. “It positions our state as a national leader in the early learning space. We know accessing child care is still a challenge for families, and our child care workers are facing multiple stressors. The launch of DELC is a milestone for our state in the journey to strengthen and unify Oregon’s early learning and care system.”

ELD was a division of the Oregon Department of Education, and Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) was a program of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) that helps families pay for child care. 

Certain ERDC changes also took effect on July 1. Families can now receive cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and get help paying for child care from ERDC at the same time. The current TANF child care program will end because ERDC will provide those families more flexible child care assistance.

Additionally, there will be fewer reasons for child care assistance to end mid-certification. Most cases will now stay open a minimum of 12 months. Cases will no longer close if a family is not connected to a child care provider. ERDC benefits will continue if a caretaker loses their job or stops attending school. 

In addition to the name change, DELC launched a new website: oregon.gov/DELC and a new brand that celebrates the relationship between child care professionals and the families they serve.  

 The transition started after the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 3073 in 2021. The launch of DELC is the culmination of over a decade of work, including extensive community input, to center children and families and strengthen the early learning system in Oregon. 

As a new state agency, DELC will focus on building trust, being accountable and transparent, improving customer service, and ensuring quality, consistency, and continuity across the early learning and care systems.

Over the next few years, unifying these agencies and programs under DELC will help:

  • Enable greater alignment across early learning and child care programs
  • Maximize state and federal funding for early learning programs
  • Create a more efficient and effective billing and licensing system for providers
  • Support and strengthen the early learning and care workforce
  • Promote culturally-specific and family-centered resources, services, and programs for families and child care professionals

Chatterjee says  DELC will continue to listen to and learn from Oregon families and child care professionals on how to best support them and meet their needs.

About the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC)

DELC is a new Oregon state agency that supports the development and wellbeing of all Oregon children and ensures families in every corner of the state have access to high-quality early learning and care. DELC also supports child care professionals by providing technical assistance, professional development opportunities, business services, licensing, grants and other resources. DELC was created by the Oregon Legislature in 2021 to unify and strengthen Oregon’s early learning system beginning July 1, 2023. DELC brings together the Oregon Early Learning Division (ELD) and the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. ELD was a division of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and ERDC was a program within the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). Visit oregon.gov/DELC  learn more or visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  social media pages. 

Media Contact: Christina Cortez-Bannick, Christina.Cortez-Bannick@DELC.oregon.gov

Download a PDF of this Press ReLEASE

ODE Seeking Director of Communications

The Oregon Department of Education is seeking an innovative and dynamic executive to lead our Communication’s Office. This position is a Principal Executive/Manager F, full-time, and serves on the agency’s management team. The purpose of this position is to provide agency leadership with a comprehensive public affairs program.  To accomplish this, the Director of Communications oversees the development and implementation of internal and external communication plans that aligns with ODE’s strategic direction.

This position serves on the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction’s management team and works closely with the Deputy Superintendent, Chief of Staff and ODE’s assistant superintendents to develop and implement strategic communications internally and externally for the agency and provide public affairs expertise and recommendations.

Learn more about the position and how to apply here. Please help us spread the word about this exciting opportunity.

2017-18 Preliminary Kindergarten Assessment Results

2017-18 preliminary kindergarten assessment results show correlation with 3rd grade skills

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Early Learning Division (ELD) today jointly released results from the 2017-18 kindergarten assessment. This year, for the first time, there is a cohort of students who have taken both the kindergarten assessment and the 3rd grade assessment – providing more information for the state and local communities to use to target resources for young children.

“Although we only have one year of comparison data, there is a clear correlation between kindergarten assessment and third-grade assessment results. This confirms what we have always known: if we can support children to be ready for success when they enter kindergarten, they are more likely to be on track in 3rd grade,” said Miriam Calderon, Oregon’s early learning system director.

The kindergarten assessment is given each fall to entering kindergartners and provides a snapshot of students’ foundational skills in three core areas of learning and development: early literacy, early math and interpersonal/self-regulation skills.

2017-18 kindergarten assessment results

  • Early literacy skills remained about the same: Oregon kindergartners recognized 8.2 letter sounds, compared with 8.9 letter sounds in the 2016-17 school year; 14.4 uppercase letters, compared with 14.8 last year, and 12.1 lowercase letters, compared with 12.5 last year.
  • Early math scores showed an uptick, as students correctly answered 11.2 out of 16 simple math questions, compared with 8.5 of 16 last year. However, these changes may be due to changes to this portion of the assessment last year.
  • The interpersonal and self-regulation ratings were unchanged from last year.

Additional analyses will be released in the spring that provide disaggregated data by socio-demographic characteristics.  In addition, ODE and ELD will conduct more detailed analysis on students’ progression from kindergarten to third grade.

“Oregon made some important investments in early learning programs in recent years, but there is more work to do to reach all our children,” said Acting Deputy Superintendent Colt Gill. “We know quality early learning sets students on the path for success from kindergarten on through to graduation.”

Oregon’s 16 regional Early Learning Hubs, which work across education, health, human services, and businesses to support families with young children, use the assessment data to prioritize investments, such as Kindergarten Readiness Partnership and Innovation Funds (KRPI).

“As a community, this information provides us the opportunity to look at where and how to invest in services and early learning programs,” said Lisa Harnisch, executive director of the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub.

Kindergarten assessment results, including district-specific data, are available here: http://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Kindergarten-Assessment.aspx.The initial analysis on the correlation between the kindergarten and third-grade assessments is available under “2017-18 Interpretive Guidance.”

Questions about the assessment can be referred to Brett Walker at Brett.Walker@ode.oregon.gov or 503.378.5160.

Media Contact: Lisa Morawski, lisa.morawski@ode.oregon.gov, 503.510.5576.

Working for Outcomes for Children: The 5 Minute Story

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For everyone in early education and the early learning sphere, this short snapshot outlines the need to focus on building caregiver capabilities and strengthening communities. Give it a look and share your thoughts!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]