Early Childhood Coalition

The Early Childhood Coalition (ECC) 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.

Early Childhood Coalition

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 play.

Early Childhood Coalition

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 play.

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.

The ECC 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.

We believe 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.

2024 Legislative Agenda

Support Economic Well-Being of Children and Families

Employment Related Daycare (ERDC)

Oregon instituted a waitlist for the ERDC program on November 4, 2023. In order for families to go to work and school, and support children to thrive, we must end the waitlist with an investment in child care.

$250 million

CHIPS Childcare for Construction Workforce

The Federal CHIPS Act provides Oregon CHIP manufacturers millions of dollars in subsidies to build the infrastructure they need to grow this sector. These investments are expected to create 10,000 new jobs and estimated $500 million in state and local tax revenues over a five-year period. This creates new demand for child care to support this workforce, however Oregon’s child care supply is far from meeting current workforce demands. This is why the CHIPS Act requires applicants to provide child care access and supply plans as part of their applications. While some businesses may be able meet part of this requirement, none are poised to meet all the federal demands. Leveraging existing state child care systems will ensure CHIPS applicants will meet application requirements.

$8 million, HB 4098

Child Care Infrastructure Fund

In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 3005 and provided $50 million in lottery bond funding for child care facilities. However, licensed home-based and small center child care providers will be better served by a general fund investment in facilities infrastructure.

$5 million, HB 4158

Learn more about early childhood infrastructure

Provide Educational Opportunity

Early Literacy Success

Distribute funding for the Birth through Five Literacy Plan in alignment with the Department of Early Learning & Care (DELC) recommendation. 

$9.4 million (already allocated)

Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

Special Education services for children 0-5 increase school readiness, reduce later costs, and support families to foster life-long success. The program was funded anticipating no growth in caseloads. A $22 million investment would support 5% caseload growth.

$22 million

Early Learning Educator Scholarship Program

Higher education is out of reach for many in early childhood. Yet access to education can increase outcomes for children and economic opportunity for providers. In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 3561 to expand this program, but failed to allocate funds to implement.

$2.5 million

Stabilize Services That Support Family Well-Being

Relief Nurseries

Sustain Relief Nursery operations, continuing to prevent unnecessary foster care for 2,300 children and their families in 38 communities across Oregon.

$2.7 million

Healthy Families Oregon

Healthy Families promotes child well-being and prevents neglect and abuse through in-home support. This investment will advance pay parity for staff to stabilize this workforce, allowing these proven services to reach more children and families.

$2.7 million

Nurse Family Partnership

Nurse Family Partnership empowers first time parents experiencing economic and social barriers by pairing them with a nurse home visitor who works alongside them and their children, from prenatal to age two. This investment will ensure greater stability for services for families.

$3.2 million, HB 4105

2024 Legislative Agenda

Support Economic Well-Being of Children and Families

Employment Related Daycare (ERDC)

Oregon instituted a waitlist for the ERDC program on November 4, 2023. In order for families to go to work and school, and support children to thrive, we must end the waitlist with an investment in child care.

Funding ask for 2024 to be determined. The Department of Early Learning and Care’s (DELC) Policy Option Package for 2023 was $250 million.

CHIPS Childcare for Construction Workforce

The Federal CHIPS Act provides Oregon CHIP manufacturers millions of dollars in subsidies to build the infrastructure they need to grow this sector. These investments are expected to create 10,000 new jobs and estimated $500 million in state and local tax revenues over a five-year period. This creates new demand for child care to support this workforce, however Oregon’s child care supply is far from meeting current workforce demands. This is why the CHIPS Act requires applicants to provide child care access and supply plans as part of their applications. While some businesses may be able meet part of this requirement, none are poised to meet all the federal demands. Leveraging existing state child care systems will ensure CHIPS applicants will meet application requirements.

$5 million

Child Care Infrastructure Fund

In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 3005 and provided $50 million in lottery bond funding for child care facilities. However, licensed home-based and small center child care providers will be better served by a general fund investment in facilities infrastructure.

$5 million

Learn more about early childhood infrastructure

Provide Educational Opportunity

Early Literacy Success

Distribute funding for the Birth through Five Literacy Plan in alignment with the Department of Early Learning & Care (DELC) recommendation. 

$10 million

Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education

Special Education services for children 0-5 increase school readiness, reduce later costs, and support families to foster life-long success. The program was funded anticipating no growth in caseloads. A $22 million investment would support 5% caseload growth.

$22 million

Stabilize Services That Support Family Well-Being

Relief Nurseries

Sustain Relief Nursery operations, continuing to prevent unnecessary foster care for 2,300 children and their families in 38 communities across Oregon.

$2.7 million

Healthy Families Oregon

Healthy Families promotes child well-being and prevents neglect and abuse through in-home support. This investment will advance pay parity for staff to stabilize this workforce, allowing these proven services to reach more children and families.

$2.7 million

Nurse Family Partnership

Nurse Family Partnership empowers first time parents experiencing economic and social barriers by pairing them with a nurse home visitor who works alongside them and their children, from prenatal to age two. This investment will ensure greater stability for services for families.

$3.16 million

Early Learning Educator Scholarship Program

Higher education is out of reach for many in early childhood. Yet access to education can increase outcomes for children and economic opportunity for providers. In 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 3561 to expand this program, but failed to allocate funds to implement.

$2.5 million

Tools & Resources

Links to resources and downloadable content. 

Children's Institute ECC

2024 Legislative Agenda

Blog Post - 2021 Leg. Report

Oregon’s Early Childhood Programs Explained

Expanding Early Childhood Facilities

For Legislators & Policymakers

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.

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

This image features our podcast guest Liane, who has short grey brown hair and is wearing a black and white checked shirt while sitting in front of the mic to record
Inclusive Early Childhood Classrooms Support All Children

Inclusive Early Childhood Classrooms Support All Children

The CI Communications team sits down with Liane Chappell, principal at the Hillsboro Early Childhood Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, to talk about Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. The goal of the Early Childhood Center is to serve kids who have delays and disabilities, and to help them make progress in the areas where they need support. As the 2024 legislative session continues, we want to emphasize the importance of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education opportunities for children across Oregon.

This is a turquoise and white graphic announcing the 2024 ECC Legislative Agenda in bold type.
The 2024 ECC Legislative Agenda

The 2024 ECC Legislative Agenda

The 2024 legislative session is almost here! And it is with excitement and determination that we share our Early Childhood Coalition priorities for this year. After a chaotic regular session in 2023, the Oregon Legislature has unfinished business in prioritizing young children prenatal through age 5 in this year’s short session. Providers, families, and early childhood advocates from across Oregon will be calling for urgent investments to support early learning, child care infrastructure, and early childhood health.

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