DELC provides funding, policy, and other resources with the aim of having all children in Oregon thriving in early childhood and beyond, eliminating systemic inequalities in access and opportunity in all of Oregon’s communities, and having a strong, family and provider responsive early learning and care system. We do this work in a complex ecosystem that involves scores of partners whose critical effort, creativity, and commitment to positive outcomes for those engaged in early learning and care cannot be understated. DELC depends on, and embraces, many vibrant, caring partners, such as after-school programs, child care centers, Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, culturally specific service organizations, Early Learning Hubs, family child care homes, home visiting programs, infant and early childhood mental health consultants, preschool programs, relief nurseries, trainers, and others who work in communities throughout the state. These partners reflect the rich diversity of the early childhood workforce and Oregon’s families, and they are grounded in Oregon’s communities, rural or urban.
Table 1 provides an overview of DELC’s core programs and
Table 2 provides an overview of DELC’s foundational services. Growing Oregon Together’s objectives and strategies refer to core programs, which are the initiatives that directly provide services to children and families. These core programs are designed to support family access to early learning and care providers to ensure that children, and their families participate in culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals. Foundational services provide critical backbone and infrastructure support. These include the child care licensing program, systems-building initiatives that center community needs and priorities, workforce supports, and DELC agency functions such as finance, budget and provider payments. As with core programs, foundational services are essential to ensuring that the early learning and care system is culturally appropriate, family-centered, and recognizes and respects the strengths and needs of all children, families, and the early learning and care workforce.
Table 1. DELC Core Programs
All reach data FY 22-23 except ERDC which is March 2024 data.
Table 2. DELC Foundational Services
Child care licensing data, January 2024; CCR&R data, April 2023 - April 2024; Child Care Substitutes, October 2023 – March 2024; DELC Operations, July 2023-April 2024, except ERDC which is calendar year 2023; Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Program, 2024; Inclusive Partners, April 2023-March 2024; Oregon Registry, March 2024; Spark, 2024.