News

Updated: July 11, 2016 As many of you know, Oregon Legislature enacted House Bill 3380, the creation of a new, publicly-funded, high quality preschool system in 2015. The model leverages high-quality, local and culturally-relevant early child care and education programs to help make preschool more widely available. By incorporating a “mixed…

The Early Learning Division is currently engaged in work to implement the Preschool Promise program enacted by the Legislature in 2015. Part of implementation will include promulgation of Oregon Administrative Rules to govern the program. The Early Learning Council will begin consideration draft rule language on March 16, 2016. The…

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is bringing together four central workgroups to help inform the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA, which replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB), was signed into law by the President in December and affords states additional flexibility in the design of…

WHAT: Early Learning Division Child Care and Development Fund State Plan Public Hearing WHEN: February 18, 2016 Hearing begins at 6:00 p.m. WHERE: Public Service Building (East Entrance) Basement – Studio A 255 Capitol St NE Salem, OR 97310 View the Public Hearing Notice

The Preschool Promise report to the Legislature is out. Take a look to learn more about the implementation process for this program. Read more here.

A draft of Oregon’s Child Care and Development Fund State Plan for 2016-2018 is open for a 60 day public comment period through February 26, 2016. There will be a public hearing on the State Plan on February 18, 2016. Information will be posted on the Early Learning Division website. The…

A draft of Oregon’s Child Care and Development Fund State Plan for 2016-2018 is open for a 60 day public comment period through February 26, 2016. There will be a public hearing on the State Plan on February 18, 2016. Information will be posted on the Early Learning Division website. The…

Oregon Head Start Pre-Kindergarten (OPK) is receiving a portion of the funding designated for mixed-delivery beginning in the first year of the 2015-2017 biennium. This additional funding will be used to 1) cover the cost of maintaining current service levels following the 2014-15 OPK expansion, 2) provide all OPK programs with…

The Early Learning Council will be hosting a Community Forum. Date: July 22nd Time: 6:30-8:30 Location: Northwest Regional ESD Service Center, 2515 Third Street, Tillamook, OR 97141 Child care will be provided free of charge and an interpreter can be available if needed. Go to bit.ly/ELCJulyForum to register. Thank you!…

Read the 2015 Early Learning Hub Report to the Legislature. The report includes lessons learned, highlights from Hubs, opportunities and challenges.

On January 29th, the Early Learning Council passed permanent rules related to the use of marijuana in child care facilities. As has been the case since the temporary rules passed in August, a licensed child care provider cannot be the holder of a registered Oregon Medical Marijuana Program card. These permanent…

The Early Learning Council will be hosting a Community Forum at the Community Action Agency building, 2475 Center St. N.E., Salem, Oregon 97301 from 7:30-8:30 on Wednesday January 28th. Child care will be provided free of charge and a translator can be available if needed. Please RSVP to Alyssa Chatterjee…

A Statewide Snapshot of Early Skills, An Opportunity to Focus on Equity Salem, OR (January 14, 2015)—The results of the 2014-2015 Oregon Kindergarten Assessment were released today. This is the second year the state has collected a snapshot of children’s skills and knowledge when they first enter kindergarten. The state…

Oregon learned this week that it was not selected to receive a Race to the Top–Preschool Development Grant. The grant would have funded high-quality preschool for an additional 1,365 income-eligible children in Oregon. The model outlined in Oregon’s grant application relied on Head Start, private preschools, community-based organizations and schools…

In order for Oregon to reach our 40-40-20 goal and close opportunity gaps, we must work together to create a truly seamless system of education for all children. This requires early learning, K-12, and health providers to reach out to each other and identify opportunities to collaborate, align work, and…