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Division for Early Childhood’s 33rd Annual Conference
August 4, 2017
The Division for Early Childhood’s 33rd Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families is coming to Portland in October 2017. The Division for Early Childhood (DEC), a division of the Council for Exceptional Children, is the principle organization for professionals who work in Early Intervention…
Important: CBR Processing Timeline – July through October
July 10, 2017
When the Office of Child Care receives a completed Central Background Registry application form and fee, and there are no issues, processing time is normally 3-5 business days from the date the form is received at Central Office before the letter for fingerprinting is mailed out. (During the busy season of late-July thru October, process time…
Child Care Statutory Authority Workgroup Meeting
June 28, 2017
At the April 27, 2017 Early Learning Council meeting, the Council adopted the charter for and directed the Early Learning Division to convene a Child Care Statutory Authority Workgroup. A copy of the charter can be found here. The Workgroup is scheduled to convene its first meeting on Thursday, June…
Earned Income Tax Credit
June 26, 2017
Your household may qualify for a bigger refund with an Earned Income Tax Credit. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a federal tax credit for working people with low to moderate income. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if you do not…
AMENDING RULES GOVERNING VEHICLE USE
June 13, 2017
The Early Learning Council will consider formal rulemaking to amend rules governing vehicle use in Registered Family Child Care Homes (OAR Chapter 414, Division 205); Certified Family Child Care Homes (OAR Chapter 414, Division 350), Certified Child Care Centers (OAR Chapter 414, Division 300), Regulated Subsidy Family Child Care Homes…
Kindergarten Assessment Results Remain Stable
March 11, 2017
The Oregon Department of Education released results last week from the fourth annual Kindergarten Assessment (KA). The assessment is given each fall to entering kindergarteners and provides a snapshot of students’ foundational skills in three core areas of learning and development: early literacy, early math, and approaches to learning. “At Early…
Early Learning and Kindergarten Guidelines Release
February 21, 2017
We are pleased to announce the release of Oregon’s Early Learning and Kindergarten Guidelines, which align the learning and developmental progressions for children ages 3-6 in the domains of approaches to learning, social-emotional development, language and communication, literacy, and mathematics. The Guidelines are designed to equip early learning providers and kindergarten…
Child Care Resource & Referral Request for Application Release
February 21, 2017
You are invited to apply! The Early Learning Division is now accepting Requests for Application to be a Child Care Resource and Referral partner in the following service delivery areas: Region County(ies) SDA Multnomah Multnomah SDA Marion-Polk-Yamhill Marion, Polk, Yamhill SDA Washington Washington SDA Clackamas Clackamas SDA North Coast Clatsop,…
Brain Building Oregon Website Launched
November 17, 2016
The Early Learning Division to Launch Website Promoting Brain Building in Children (Salem, Ore.) – The Early Learning Division with the Oregon Department of Education is launching a website, Brain Building Oregon, to promote brain building in children from birth to five years old. The new site features 12 resources…
License Exempt Providers Rule Revision
November 10, 2016
License Exempt Providers Rule Revision The Early Learning Council will begin formal rulemaking to amend rules governing license exempt child care providers accepting federal subsidies. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 requires states and territories to conduct health and safety monitoring inspections for all child care…
Amending Rules Governing License-Exempt Providers
November 10, 2016
The Early Learning Council will begin formal rulemaking to amend rules governing license-exempt child care providers accepting federal subsidies. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 requires states and territories to conduct health and safety monitoring inspections for all child care providers who accept federal funding from…
Central Background Registry Administrative Rules Revisions
November 10, 2016
The Early Learning Council will begin rulemaking to revise administrative rules relating to enrollment in the Central Background Registry established pursuant to ORS 329A.030. The Early Learning Division, Office of Child Care (OCC) administers the Central Background Registry (CBR) pursuant to ORS 329A.030. OCC conducts background checks on individuals associated…
Portland Water Bureau Lead Testing
November 10, 2016
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) was notified by the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) confirming that lead levels in the Portland water service area had recently exceeded federal standards. As public health officials and the agency responsible for regulating lead levels in municipal drinking water systems, OHA directed the PWB to…
ELD News: Subscribe or Update Your Preferences
November 4, 2016
If you are interested in receiving news from the Early Learning Division, you should subscribe to our mailing list! If you are already subscribed to our mailing list, you can update your preferences by following the link above. We want to start or continue sending you information that you care…
Students and Families: Applications Now Open for Grants and Scholarships
November 3, 2016
Eugene, Oregon | The Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) encourages students statewide to apply now for grants and scholarships at OregonStudentAid.gov. OSAC awards more than $80 million each year in state-funded grants and privately funded scholarships to help students meet their college expenses. More…
Oregon Pre-Kindergarten Expansion
August 21, 2015
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…
Early Learning Council Hosts Community Forum in Tillamook
July 15, 2015
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 What is it? The Oregon Early Learning Council is holding a forum to hear community input on issues of equity, access, and the…
Early Learning Hub Report to the Legislature
February 13, 2015
Read the 2015 Early Learning Hub Report to the Legislature. The report includes lessons learned, highlights from Hubs, opportunities and challenges.
Child Care Rules Update
January 30, 2015
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…
Early Learning Council Hosts Community Forum
January 23, 2015
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…
Statewide Kindergarten Assessment Results Released
January 14, 2015
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…
Preschool Development Grant
December 10, 2014
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…
P-3 Toolkit
November 5, 2014
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…
Early Years to Early Grade Summit – Register Now
September 17, 2014
Earlier the Early Learning Divsion extended an invitation to early learning service providers and K-12 educators to participate in the upcoming Early Years to Early Grades Summit, which will take place on November 6, 2014 at the Airport Sheraton in Portland. Dr. Kristie Kauerz from the University of Washington will…
Race to the Top Preschool Development Grant
September 15, 2014
The purpose of the grant is to expand high-quality preschool programs, through comprehensive services and family engagement, for preschool-aged children from families at or below 200% of the Federal poverty line. Oregon is eligible for an expansion grant for up to $15 million in the first year of the grant…
Early Years to Early Grades Summit
September 5, 2014
The Early Learning Divsion would like to invite early learning service providers and K-12 educators to participate in the upcoming Early Years to Early Grades Summit, which will take place on November 6, 2014 at the Airport Sheraton in Portland. We are so excited to be bringing in Dr. Kristie…
Governor Kitzhaber Appoints Acting Early Learning System Director
August 22, 2014
August 19, 2014 (Salem, OR) — Governor Kitzhaber announced today the appointment of Megan Irwin as Acting Early Learning System Director. Ms. Irwin’s appointment follows the retirement of Jada Rupley, whose last day with the Division was August 15. The appointment is immediate. "Megan is an energetic and engaged leader…
Child Care Rules
August 7, 2014
On August 6, 2014 the Early Learning Council took unanimous action to adopt child care licensing rules that clarify policies about the use of alcohol and tobacco products as well as illegal controlled substances including medical marijuana. You can find the approved temporary rules below: Central Background Registry Registered Family…
OPK Expansion Grants
August 7, 2014
The Early Learning Division had a small pot of funds available to support the expansion of current OPK/Head Start programs. Grant recipients were announced in June 2014. In the spirit of transparency, you can see all of the grants and scoring results here. Grant Proposals Scoring
In the Media: Oregon’s Quality Rating & Improvement System
July 28, 2014
Please take a minute to read OPB's latest article on the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). In 2012, Oregon received $20 million to help rebuild our early learning system, with a particular focus on promoting quality early learning environments in child care settings. As you will read, Oregon's QRIS…