Oregon Passes Early Childhood Legislation

Financing, Governance/Leadership, Quality Improvement, Financing, Quality Rating Systems

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Oregon passed a major early childhood bill in March, 2012 to improve coordination among early childhood programs, increase access for families most in need of services, and establish accountability measures. House Bill 4165 eliminates the Oregon Commission on Children and Families and the Oregon Commission on Childcare, transferring the programs and responsibilities to the recently established Early Learning Council (ELC). As part of its efforts to streamline early childhood services, the ELC is required to submit a proposal for a global budgeting approach for early learning services to the legislature by 2013. The last official day for the Oregon Commission on Children and Families was June 29, 2012. Their responsibilities will further be consolidated under the new Early Learning Council. As of July 2012, the search for a director of the ELC continues.

Regional hubs will replace the existing county-level commissions on children and families to convene and coordinate early learning services locally. The ELC will establish a request for proposals process to select entities to serve as hubs. Nonprofits, education service districts, county agencies, faith-based organizations, tribes, and community colleges are eligible to apply. Each hub will receive approximately $5 million a year to complete their work (85% of which must be used to provide direct services). The hubs will engage local residents in planning to ensure services are meeting community needs.

The legislation does not make any budgetary or regulatory changes for Head Start/Early Head Start, early childhood special education, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or the child care subsidy program. However, they will participate in planning and coordinating efforts that take place in the regional hubs.

The ELC will also take the lead on work being done to select screening tools for use in all settings serving children. Plans include screening all babies at birth, 9 months, 18 months, and age 3 to determine whether they are reaching milestones. In addition, every state-funded program¬¬–including health, nutrition, and parenting programs–will focus on and report school-readiness indicators.

The law also calls for the implementation of a Tiered Quality Rating Improvement System and a kindergarten readiness assessment, which schools must begin using by fall 2013.

For more information on the Oregon Early Learning Council and HB 4165, visit www.oregon.gov.

Updated July 2012