Newsletter
Get your Vroom materials today!
October 10, 2015
Early Learning Update – October 2015
Vroom, a national early learning initiative that empowers parents to turn everyday activities into brain building moments with their children, provides a set of tools that explain the science behind early brain development, empowering parents and caregivers with actionable tips to turn shared moments into brain building opportunities with their kids. Vroom, partnering with the Bezos Family Foundation, has been expanded to 16 different sites across Oregon. Ari Wubbold, the Early Learning Division's Vroom Coordinator, has been collaborating with Early Learning Division…
Southern Oregon Early Learning Services (SOELS) Gets Creative About Kindergarten Readiness
October 10, 2015
Early Learning Update – October 2015
By: Sue Parrish
A majority of preschool children receiving child care services in Jackson County are enrolled in small child care settings with family, friends, and/or relatives, or in small in-home preschools. These caregivers often care for their children eight to 10 hours a day with no other adult to offer respite and little opportunity to participate in professional development of any kind. Southern Oregon early learning leaders started creatively strategizing about ways to offer support to these providers, better prepare their young…
Diverse Language Cohort
September 10, 2015
Early Learning at Work – August/September 2015
By: Rita Loop
Diverse Language Cohort A new early learning system group, the Diverse Language Cohort, is developing a plan that aims to align and coordinate new services for culturally and linguistically diverse child care providers in Oregon. This group will expand professional development offerings in more languages and identify systemic barriers in the early learning system for child care providers. The group includes staff – most of whom are bilingual and passionate about serving providers – from the Office of Child Care-Early Learning…
2015 Legislative Update
September 10, 2015
Early Learning at Work – August/September 2015
On Monday, July 6 the 2015 Legislature finished, ending what will be remembered as a historic session for early learning in Oregon. The Legislature made over $100 million in new investments in early childhood and passed legislation creating a new mixed-delivery preschool program and strengthening Oregon’s child care subsidy program for working families experiencing poverty. The new Early Learning Hub system also received a strong vote of confidence, including new investments to support their work in building the capacity of their…
Adult-Child Interactions: A Promising Best Practice
September 10, 2015
Early Learning at Work – August/September 2015
Oregon has invested in supporting positive adult-child interactions as a key component of quality early learning environments that can make a significant positive impact on children. In fact, two of the Learning and Development standards in Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) are devoted specifically to adult-child interaction. Licensing rules are the first set of of QRIS standards. Licensed programs have regulations that address adult-child interactions, such as attending to the emotional needs of children and guidance and discipline.…
An Interview with Lillian Green
September 10, 2015
Early Learning at Work – August/September 2015
By: Brittany Palmer
An Interview with Lillian Green Lillian Green is a self-described native Portlander and a lifelong learner who is eager to be part of the incredible work on equity in Oregon’s newly emerging Early Learning System. She recently joined the Early Learning Division (ELD) as the new Equity Director. In the first part of her career she worked in the classroom with middle-school and high-school age students teaching English, as well as introducing racial equity work into different schools in the…
Takelma Together
July 10, 2015
Early Learning Update – July 2015
An Interview with Tammie Hunt - Education Director for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians By Brittany Palmer tapʰoytʰa, (Takelma – to prosper, to be blessed) Tammie Hunt has worked with the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians for over two years. Her work initially focused on reaching out to high-school kids to prepare them for post-secondary education and she still currently runs 13 different programs to support that work. She was then asked to sit…
Equity Sub-Team Update
July 10, 2015
Early Learning Update – July 2015
By: Tab Dansby
Racial equity work has moved into a new phase at the Early Learning Division (ELD). In March 2015, the equity subcommittee of the Early Learning Council finished their work of developing recommendations and a toolkit in order to guide the Council’s actions on implementing the Oregon Equity Lens. The resulting report was approved by the Council, and the Division launched a process to act on those recommendations. Leadership members at the Division recognized that racial equity work is complex at…
Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System – Health & Safety Domain Overview
July 10, 2015
Early Learning Update – July 2015
By: Meredith Russell and Brittany Palmer
Oregon’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) is a program that elevates the importance of early learning by supporting child care providers to continuously improve their programs and supporting families in finding high quality care. Child care providers participate in the QRIS by demonstrating how they meet a research-based set of standards within 5 domains, focused on child learning and development. Oregon’s QRIS recognizes, rewards, and builds on what early learning programs are already doing well. The QRIS can also…
Early Learning Hub Update
July 10, 2015
Early Learning Update – July 2015
By: Joy Jerome Turtola
It has been two years since the Oregon legislature passed House Bill 2013 which created the Early Learning Hubs. Since that time the Early Learning Division (ELD) has facilitated the launch of all regional 16 hubs, covering every part of the state. A few hubs have been in existence for over a year and others formally became hubs in the last month. The hubs are tasked with ensuring that early learning supports and services are more available, more accessible and…