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Governance Council

January 21, 2025

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Welcome, Yuriko!!!!

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Parent Advisory Council Updates

Jackson County

  • Open Gym at the Southern Oregon Gymnastics Academy
    • Every other friday from 3pm-4pm
    • Ages 18m - 5yrs
    • Limited spots
  • Early Literacy Multicultural Storytime
    • Host storytimes featuring bilingual books, focusing on a new culture each session
    • Families will be able to take home the book and complete a related activity with their child(ren)

Josephine County

  • STEM Kits with Josephine County Libraries
    • 8 STEM Kits, 2 for each library
    • Donated and available for families to check out from the “Library of Things”
    • Hosting 4 workshops at each of the libraries after Sprout a Reader/ K9 Reading Buddies
  • Read Play Talk Events at Growing Together
    • Playgroup with themed craft/ activity, story time and a guest speaker!
    • April- Earth Day
    • May- Critters (Bugs R Us guest speaker
    • June- Pollinators (Pollinator Pals guest speaker)

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STEM Kits

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Child Care Expansion Project

Paid Internships

    • The model is working!
    • 14 engaged
      • 1 completed
      • 4 currently on site
      • 7 in process
    • RWP Funding Next Biennium!

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Child Care Expansion Project

RCC Fast Track

    • Funding secured!
    • Launch postponed until Fall 2025 to ensure enough time for proper planning and recruitment

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Child Care Expansion Project

Rural Child Care Expansion

    • Jackson County
      • SOU SBDC and CCRN Supporting
      • Providence $43,400
      • 4 candidates - Sams Valley, Phoenix, Talent, Medford

    • Josephine County
      • Rogue SBDC & CCRN Supporting
      • City of Grants Pass $30K
      • SOREDI $10K
      • 3 candidates- Grants Pass, Williams

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Child Care Expansion Project

  • Slot Expansion - Providence
    • $72,000 for Jackson County Slots
    • Supports working families
    • Have been invited to apply for a second year!!

    • 3 programs
      • Ashland Family YMCA
      • Kids Discovery Corner
      • Mi Pequena Oruga
    • 13 children
    • Amazing Stories!

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Child Care Expansion Project

I know that one of the toddler parents had not been able to find care for her son that was safe and affordable. She said that prior to getting on this program the only care she had been able to find within her budget was with a friend who had him in the car all day with her due to her other job. He spent 4 hours a day in the car delivering things with this other person. He wasn’t talking or expressing his emotions. He would just go around screaming and hitting things all day long after he was out of the car. She hated doing this but had no other choice. She could only afford $500/month and even paying this left her with no food money and she would have to go to the food banks to get food when her job would allow her to leave and do this. After being here, this child has completely changed. He comes in happy, has begun talking, no longer screams when frustrated and even cries not to go home at times! Mom is happier and is no longer struggling to feed them! “

-Director of Kids Discovery Corner

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Child Care Expansion Project

Other potential strategies to support classrooms:

    • FloorTime
    • Autism Support Line
    • Trainings Requested by Providers

QMHA Credential Cohort

    • Launched 1/17
    • 4 moving forward
    • Repurposing some funds to other classroom support strategies

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Pyramid Model Implementation in Southern Oregon

  • Convening a Community Inclusion Team to evaluate and improve how system partners promote inclusive practices
  • Received $100,000 from Providence for Pyramid Model Implementation in Jackson Co for 15 classrooms
  • Seeking funds from Ford Family Foundation for Josephine Co
  • Training, Coaching, Materials

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Early Literacy Initiative

HB 3198 - Early Literacy Plan

  • $50M K-12
  • $5M to early learning hubs
  • $5M to early learning equity fund

Southern Oregon Early Literacy Campaign

A focus on early literacy not only encourages a love for reading, but also creates opportunities for families to connect with their children and put the screens down.

Funding - $342,700 to purchase books and materials, pay for trainings, and enter into sub agreements with partners (no staffing costs)

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SOELS Priority Populations include:

  • Families whose home language is Spanish
  • Families in rural communities
  • Families navigating recovery
  • Families navigating mental health supports

  • Teen Parents
  • Foster Families
  • Children experiencing delay or disability
  • Children without early learning experiences prior to kindergarten

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Participating Partners

  • The Oregon Center for Creative Learning
  • Playful Concepts, LLC
  • Jackson County HHS - Maternal Child Health
  • Legacy Family & Leadership
  • Grants Pass School District 7 Early Learning Program
  • Southern Oregon Head Start
  • Grants Pass Family YMCA-YEC Preschool Program
  • Ashland Family YMCA
  • Siskiyou Community Health Center

  • Wild Oak Preschool
  • St. Anne Catholic School
  • 71Five Youth Ministries, 71Five Parents: working with Young and Teen Parents
  • Listo Family Literacy Program of Southern Oregon Child and Family Council, Inc
  • SOESD Early Childhood Services
  • Josephine Community Library District
  • YMCA of Medford, OR dba Rogue Valley Family YMCA
  • Living Opportunities, dba Bridging Communities

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Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV)

  • Home Visiting Network Diaper Closet!
    • Home visitors attending Home Visiting Network meetings now have access to a diaper closet hosted at the SOELS office in Medford (JoCo HV diapers soon to come)
    • Home Visiting Network meetings occur the first Tuesday of each month from 9am to 10am and are a hybrid model
      • Those attending in person are eligible for a drawing at the end of each meeting to select from an assortment of supplies for families
  • Trainings for MIECHV home visitors
    • April - Cards for Connection two-day training with Dr. Amy King
    • Late spring - Home visitor boundaries training with LPC Alison Hinson
      • Alison was a speaker at last summer’s MIECHV retreat in Bend and was specifically mentioned by leadership and home visitors as a favorite speaker from the event
      • A follow-up training will be scheduled for 1-2 months after the initial training

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Preschool Promise - Coordinated Enrollment

  • 98.7% of PSP slots are full, 171 families in the waiting pool, persistent openings at Sunny Wolf Charter School Preschool in Wolf Creek
  • Revisions underway for both the PSP Grantee Manual and the Preschool Promise Enrollment Manual
    • DELC Enrollment Manual work group
      • Enrollment Manual Revisions needed to address areas of current document that were contradictory and/or did not align with guidance given in the PSP Grantee Manual
      • DELC initial revisions included removal of current benefits from the income eligibility portion of the application process, a significant change as the majority of families choose to provide proof of benefits when they are applying for Preschool Promise
      • DELC has rescinded those initial edits

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DELC Update

The Consultants with BUILD Initiative continue to provide facilitation of strategic planning and establishing work plan for DELC

Two areas of focus specifically related to hub support:

  • Clarity for hub backbone organizations regarding roles and responsibilities
  • Improved DELC supports for Coordinated Enrollment (enrollment for all publicly funded programs)

Carey McCann with BUILD has been selected as DELC’s Early Childhood Policy & Strategy Director and will start in February

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DELC Strategic Plan Overview

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2025 Legislative Priorities

Employment Related

Day Care (ERDC)

Serve the 8,000+ families on the ERDC waitlist and 4,000 ERDC families without a provider

up to $500 million

Child Care Navigation

Improve the support for families in ERDC to find a child care provider

$15 million

LC 883

Child Care Workforce

Grow the workforce by investing in pay, apprenticeships, and higher education

$ TBD

LC 2153

Child & Adult Care Food Program

Stabilize child care provider budgets and address child food insecurity by supplementing federal CACFP payments

$4.5 million

LC 1898

LC TBD

Inclusive Child Care Zoning

Create by-right zoning and provide guidance for cities and counties

LC 4078

LC TBD

Early Education & Child Care

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Birth-5 Early Literacy

Secure expanded funding for early literacy, including increasing funding for Reach Out and Read

$25 million

EI/ECSE

Restore and improve services for children with disabilities and delays eligible for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

$24 million

LC 1415

2025 Legislative Priorities

Early Education & Child Care (cont.)

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Next Meeting

March 18, 2025

  • Biennial Spend down Presentation
  • Early Learning Council Guest
  • Legislative Session Updates