What is The 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’s Vision
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.
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
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
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.
2024 Legislative Agenda (PDF)
Oregon’s Early Childhood Programs Explained (PDF)
Expanding Early Childhood Facilities (PDF)
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
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This week, Children's Institute and state early learning partners hosted a webinar to elevate the importance of an intentional focus on early literacy strategies for early child care providers, educators, and families; and share funding updates.
Oregon Prepares to Fund Early Literacy Efforts
In 2023, Oregon lawmakers passed the early literacy success initiative in an effort to support reading proficiency in young children. Now, the state is poised to distribute those funds.
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