Who is The Early Childhood Coalition?
Oregon’s Early Childhood Coalition is a partnership of more than 50 state and national organizations who advocate at the state legislature to improve outcomes for Oregon’s youngest children and families.
Our Vision Centers Equity
The Early Childhood Coalition envisions an Oregon where all children experience high-quality early learning and care that is culturally responsive, welcoming, and accessible; where child and family experience directs policy and investment toward creating and sustaining a culture of abundance, care, and joy.
The Early Childhood Coalition believes racism is built into all systems, including early childhood; we know early childhood is a critical window in which to advance racial equity. When we center racial equity and intentionally prioritize those at the outermost margins, early childhood programs and services can improve outcomes for all children and reduce disparities by race/ethnicity, income, geography, disability, language, immigrant and refugee status, houselessness and foster care.
With strong partnerships and visionary leadership, we can work toward a racially just, child-centered early learning and care system that prioritizes every child’s diverse strengths and needs, starting at birth. We invite you to join us, learn more about our collective goals, share our message with your networks, and work with us to remind lawmakers why early childhood matters!
Have a question or need more information? Please email Malea Miller at malea@childinst.org.
Our Values
As a coalition, we are committed to moving all early childhood investments toward greater cultural relevance and responsiveness. In order to achieve this, our decisions and actions will be centered in core values of justice, accountability, self-determination, humanity, and collaboration.
Justice
We work towards systems level transformation to remove barriers and build political power for children, families, and communities most harmed by systemic injustice.
Accountability
From policy development through implementation, we are answerable to young children, families, and communities. As we continue to learn from historic injustice and take corrective action, we will also acknowledge and learn from our own missteps and take action to repair harm.
Self-determination
Solutions must be built with families and communities to work for them. We commit ourselves to policy building and decision-making led by and for Black, Indigenous, people of color, and other families and community partners historically excluded from policy and budget decisions.
Humanity
We perceive our well-being and the well-being of the children, families, and communities we advocate with as essentially connected. We ground our work in the belief that happy, healthy development is a collective social responsibility and a fundamental right of all children.
Collaboration
We pursue justice for Oregon’s youngest children and families through non-transactional, long-term, and evolving relationship and trust-building. We are committed to equipping parents and partners with the support they need to drive change on their own terms.
The Early Childhood Coalition’s 2026 Legislative Priorities
In the 2026 legislative short session, providers, families, and advocates call on the Oregon Legislature to stabilize essential early learning and care services that thousands of Oregon children and families rely on every day. To meet this moment, the Oregon Legislature must take these steps:
1. Protect and maintain funding for essential early childhood programs.
2. Restore a portion of recently reduces program funding.
3. Use revenue and reserves to stop further cuts and restore early childhood programs.
Protect Critical Prevention Services for Children and Families
We urge the Legislature to protect and maintain funding for essential early childhood programs including, child care preschool, Relief Nursery services, and home visiting.
Restore $10-$20 million in cuts to services through DELC.
The 2025–27 state budget reduced funding by $45 million from the current service level for early learning and child care programs at DELC, limiting providers’ ability to retain staff, keep classrooms open, and manage rising costs.
- Restore Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten budget to the Legislatively Adopted Budget
- Restore $4 million to Preschool Promise; for inflationary increases
- Restore $0.7 million to Healthy Families Oregon, plus $0.5 million that can be repurposed within DELC; for inflationary increases and to undo program cuts
- Restore $0.5 million to Relief Nurseries; for inflationary increases
Address the Employment Related Day Care shortfall of $73-88 million.
Oregon’s economy and working families rely on child care. Without legislative action ERDC will run out of funding in January 2027, threatening access for 12,000 families and destabilizing the child care system.
Invest in Early Relational Health Interventions Through Oregon Health Authority
Strong caregiver relationships in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life lay the foundation for lifelong outcomes, underscoring the need to invest in interventions that support early relational health, like home visiting and Relief Nurseries.
Restore $1.6 million for Nurse Family Partnership home visiting.
Nurse‑Family Partnership improves prenatal health, school readiness, maternal employment, and child safety. Restoring state funding for the required Medicaid match would support families and draw down federal Medicaid dollars.
Support a technical fix to doula legislation (SB 1568).
Senator Reynolds, the Oregon Health Authority, and advocates have collaborated on technical fixes to doula and lactation counselor legislation that support implementation and carry no fiscal impact
Download the 2026 Legislative Agenda
Early Childhood Coalition Tools & Resources
Links to resources and downloadable content.
2025 Legislative Agenda (PDF)
Oregon’s Early Childhood Programs Explained (PDF)
Expanding Early Childhood Facilities (PDF)
For Legislators & Policymakers
Coalition Partners
Adelante Mujeres
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
American Heart Association
Child Care Resources
Community Action
Consejo Hispano
Doulas Latinas
Early Learning Council
Early Learning Central Oregon
Early Learning Clackamas
Early Learning Council
Early Learning Multnomah
Early Literary Success Alliance
Eastern Oregon Community Based Service Hub
Education Explorers
Family Forward Oregon
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
Foundations for a Better Oregon
Friendly House
Health Share
Home Forward
Inclusive Partners
Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization
Latino Network
Marion & Polk Early Learning, Inc.
Metropolitan Family Services
Multnomah County
Native American Youth and Family Center
Northwest Early Learning Hub
Nurse-Family Partnership
Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children
Oregon Alliance for Early Intervention
Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries
Oregon Child Abuse Solutions
Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials
Oregon Community Foundation
Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities
Oregon Education Association
Oregon Head Start Association
Oregon Montessori Association
Oregon Pediatric Society
Oregon Public Health Institute
Our Children Oregon
Prevent Child Abuse Oregon
Reach Out and Read
ReadyNation: Council for a Strong America
Social Venture Partners Portland
South-Central Early Learning Hub
United Way of the Columbia-Willamette
Yamhill Community Care
Latest on Policy from Children’s Institute
Early Childhood Coalition Announces 2026 Policy Priorities
Early Childhood Coalition announces 2026 policy priorities. In 2026, providers, families, and advocates call on the Oregon Legislature to stabilize essential early learning and care services that thousands of Oregon children and families rely on.
What the 2025 Legislative Session Means for Oregon’s Children
After a challenging 2025 legislative session shaped by federal policy and funding constraints, early childhood advocates are still celebrating key wins.
Advocates, Parents Call on Oregon Legislature to Protect Preschool for All
A broad coalition of parents, early childhood educators, and advocates gathered at Escuela Viva in Southeast Portland to speak out in support of Preschool for All in Multnomah County, in response to a bill that would eliminate the program.