Quarterly Newsletter

Although our recent weather has felt more like Spring, I wish you all a Happy New Year!

My hope for 2026 is that families in Southern Oregon will become more connected to their community, will find the supports they need, and that they will not just survive, but thrive. Despite challenges. Despite budget cuts.

How is that possible? It’s possible because of us, because of how we choose to work together to leverage our existing resources. We often have tough choices regarding how we navigate in times of scarcity:

1. Shorten the Line: Limiting the number of people served to maintain quality
2. Thin the Soup: Spreading the same, limited resources across more people, which reduces the quality or intensity of the service
3. Innovate: Creating new ways to deliver value without sacrificing quality

Rather than shortening the line or thinning the soup, we are promoting innovation! In this newsletter, you will read about innovative ways to support children and families during this time of uncertainty and limited resources. You will find ways to strengthen your team’s approach to supporting families through the five protective factors; you will hear from a local parent on the impact of playgroups on parenting confidence and supporting a child’s successful transition to kindergarten – AND how to receive free training to start your own playgroups for the families you serve; you will learn how to become a meaningful partner in addressing the food security crisis; and much more.

I am grateful for the many ways you all show up for children and families.

René Brandon, Director

Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub

Medford February 2025

Wild Oak Early Learning is a newly formed nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting nature-based early learning experiences for young children and their families. This organization is affiliated with Wild Oak Preschool, which operates a licensed, nature-based preschool in Southern Oregon. Seeded by the passion behind Wild Oak Preschool, Wild Oak Early Learning has continued to grow, branching outward from a desire to nurture a wider range of ages and serve the broader community.

Wild Oak Early Learning engages with the community by bringing nature-centered learning activities to public and private events, and also organizes its own nature-based learning programs on-site and throughout the Applegate Valley, Jackson and Josephine Counties of Southern Oregon for children and families.

If you are interested in learning more about what kinds of experiences Wild Oak Early Learning can bring to your group or event, or if you’d like to inquire about booking an event on-site at Wild Oak, please contact Heather Paladini at wildoakpreschool1@gmail.com.

📍 Wild Oak Preschool (Williams, Oregon)

Wild Oak Preschool is a small, licensed and certified preschool program located on a rural residential farm property in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon. It emphasizes:

• Nature-centered early learning connected to outdoor and nature-based exploration, the local natural environment, and the seasons. Wild Oak Preschool incorporates the natural world and age-appropriate scientific inquiry into classroom explorations both indoors and outdoors. Children become familiar with tools and materials such as magnifying glasses, microscopes, binoculars, and much more.
• Social-emotional learning for preschool-aged children through cooperative play, guided conflict resolution, storytelling, and daily rhythms and mindfulness activities that support emotional regulation, empathy, communication skills, and confidence in group settings.
• A curriculum inspired by holistic educational philosophies with hands-on activities and play both indoors and out.
• Daily rhythms that include circle time, stories, songs, nature walks, creative play, and seasonal themes.
• Small group sizes and individualized attention (licensed for a limited number of preschool-age children) in an environment that blends structured and child-led learning and activities

This approach is designed to foster curiosity, connection with nature, social emotional skills, and a love of learning rather than focusing solely on traditional academic benchmarks.

This article was shared by Heather Paladini, who has partnered with SOELS as a recipient of Early Literacy funding, child care expansion funding, and has been a participant in our Josephine County Parent Advisory Council since August 2024.

The new Preschool Promise school year is well underway! Families needing publicly funded preschool can still visit Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub’s website to learn more about Preschool Promise opportunities in Jackson and Josephine County. Lotteries will be ongoing to fill slots as they are available. Currently, we have openings in Wolf Creek, and Grants Pass. Please reach out to Southern Oregon Early Learning Services for more information!

Email enrollment@soesd.k12.or.us or call (541) 776-8590, ext. 1145.

Para asistencia en español, llame (541) 776-8590, extensión 1190.

Openings in Grants Pass at:

Openings in Wolf Creek at:

Part 1: This article was contributed by Becky, a Grants Pass School District 7 parent and owner of My Event Nanny LLC, who reflects on her family’s experience navigating parenting during the pandemic, participating in early learning opportunities, and the big transition to Kindergarten.

If you would like to learn more about GPSD7's Early Learning Program, click here.

The week my son turned one, the city of Grants Pass went into lockdown for COVID. We were just finding our footing as parents, and suddenly our world became very small. Playgrounds closed, casual conversations with other parents disappeared, and family relationships felt strained under the weight of uncertainty. During those formative years, John’s exposure to other children and adults was extremely limited. ‘Outside’ adults wore masks, peers had to stay at a distance, literally. Over time, John’s social anxiety increased. Connecting with other children was hard, and unfamiliar adults were especially triggering.

Flash forward, we learned about a new District 7 program called Playgroups, where parents attend a structured learning environment alongside their child. This was a critical component for us—my son had never been with a babysitter or in a daycare setting, so this was his first step into the wider world. The first day, I carried him in while he screamed and clawed at my back. He was fully in fight-or-flight. We both cried. But we kept coming back, largely because of Annie Blanchard, the Early Childhood Coordinator. From the start, Annie felt like more than an educator, she was an advocate and friend—someone who genuinely cared about my son and our family.

Through Playgroups, we learned small but powerful reframes about how children learn—like why lowercase letters are taught before uppercase, and tips for how to hold a pencil. Just as importantly, Playgroups offered continued exposure to peers. That said, by the end of the 2024 school year, John still struggled with unfamiliar people. Whenever a new face entered the room—like a masked adult during dental screenings, or a new child attending the group—he would often meltdown. Despite our progress, it was still unclear whether mainstreaming into public school would truly be accessible for him.

This led directly into our formal kindergarten transition. Through weekly conversations with Annie during Playgroups to our Playgroups exit meeting, we talked about getting supports in place—like pursuing a 504 plan. Annie also arranged a meeting with our future elementary school principal and behavioral specialist. She attended with me, helping ask the right questions and quite literally holding my hand through the process. We also toured John’s future elementary school, giving both of us the chance to see teachers in action and begin turning the unknown into something familiar.

Then school let out for the summer. Without the weekly structure of Playgroups, our family had to decide how to keep preparing John for a school environment. So we created our own routine. Every weekday, we went to his school—playing on the playground, reading stories under a shade tree, talking through what kindergarten would be like, and even practicing getting lunch through the free school meals program.

The summer wrapped up with Kinder Camps, a free resource for District 7 families that we learned about through the Early Learning Center. This was a major milestone—John had never been left alone with a new adult before. It was a big test for both of us. Thankfully, several of his Playgroups friends attended the camp as well, giving him the social scaffolding he needed to succeed.

We will hear more of Becky's story in our Spring newsletter, as she describes her son's transition to kindergarten.

Don't forget! There are a variety of local playgroups that offer young children a safe, playful space to build early social, language, and motor skills through age-appropriate activities and interaction with peers. Playgroups provide valuable support by reducing isolation, fostering friendships, and connecting caregivers to community resources and parenting knowledge. Together, playgroups strengthen children’s development while nurturing confident, supported families during the crucial early years! Check out one of the many FREE playgroup opportunities below:

• Read Play Talk groups hosted through SOELS (Check out the Opportunities for Families tab on our website for the current playgroup schedule!)
• Josephine County Early Childhood Services Playgroups (Weekly groups offered for 0-3, and 3-5 years old. Sign up on their website)
• Playgroups through Grants Pass School District 7's Early Learning program (Weekly for 3-5 years old. Learn more and sign up on their website)
• Storytimes and fun groups through the local libraries!
• Check out the Josephine County Library Here!
• Check out the Jackson County Library Here!

Ever thought about starting a playgroup for families with young children? Now is your chance!

Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub is offering a free training on how to start and run your own parent/caregiver and child playgroup! SOELS has offered free 90-minute weekly playgroups around our valley for over eight years and now is your chance to start your own!

Does your organization serve families with children 0-5? Do those families long to connect with other families in the area? These playgroups are a fun and easy way to support families with young children.

If you’re interested or just want to learn more, please join us for an informational Zoom session on Tuesday February 17 @ 11:00 – 12:00 pm.

Since 1978, The Center for the Study of Social Policy has been working to influence public policy affecting poor children and families, elderly, and people with disabilities.

Their Theory of Change is that when children and families have:

• The economic resources they need,
• Opportunities to support and affirm their health and well-being, and
• Agency and choice within the context of strong and supportive communities, they will thrive in a racially, socially and economically just society.

We could not agree more!

In 2017, Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub adopted their Strengthening Families Framework as the lens from which we view all of our regional investments. It is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development, and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It is based on engaging families, programs, and communities in building five key protective factors.

Parental resilience: Managing stress and functioning well when faced with challenges, adversity and trauma

Social connections: Positive relationships that provide emotional, informational, instrumental and spiritual support

Knowledge of parenting and child development: Understanding child development and parenting strategies that support physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development

Concrete support in times of need: Access to concrete support and services that address a family’s needs and help minimize stress caused by challenges

Social and emotional competence of children: Family and child interactions that help children develop the ability to communicate clearly, recognize and regulate their emotions and establish and maintain relationships

While it’s true we cannot mitigate all risk factors families face, we can and should intentionally increase the protective factors for our families. So, how can YOU start?

The best way to start is with training on the protective factors:

• FREE Online Trainings from ProSolutions Training, in both English and Spanish. 2 hour sessions on each protective factor. Option for CEU at small cost.
• FREE In-person, full day local training sponsored by SOELS (next session is May 4th in Grants Pass. See the flyer below or contact Sydney_Wing@soesd.k12.or.us to sign up!)

And who should take training? All individuals and organizations who serve families with young children: schools, child care programs, home visitors, health care providers, government agencies, faith based organizations, youth serving organizations, etc.

To be most effective, everyone who comes into contact with families should take the trainings –receptionist, case managers, home visitors, program managers, CEO. The trainings should begin to transform the way an organization welcomes and engages families, how services and supports are structured to promote protective factors, and how families connect with the organization and each other. It’s a framework for engagement that builds on family strengths and creates opportunities for new strengths to emerge.

Are you interested in starting or expanding your in-home child care business? Funding is still available, in partnership with The City of Grants Pass' Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to support individuals who live in Grants Pass within the Urban Growth Boundary.

Financial assistance to purchase start-up materials, equipment, and other essentials may be available to help you get started, or expand to serve more children. In addition, eligible applicants will receive:

• Personalized guidance from CCRN on licensing requirements, quality standards, and support completing required trainings.
  

• Business training and support from RCC’s SBDC, including start-up budgeting, marketing, and operations planning.

If you are interested in learning more, complete the interest form, or reach out to Jordan_Rogers@soesd.k12.or.us!

Updates from the ODHS website as of Dec. 12, 2025:

A federal budget was approved in July 2025 that will significantly affect key programs that support people in Oregon, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the state’s Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). These changes shift more cost and responsibility to the state, putting additional pressure on already stretched systems.

Key impacts

SNAP: 1 in 6 Oregonians rely on food benefits. Under the new law, Oregon will need to contribute an estimated $385 million annually to maintain current service levels.

OHP: Covering 1 in 3 Oregonians, including half of the state's children, OHP may face a reduction of up to $10 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. ODHS staff help people apply for OHP and determine program eligibility.

ODHS is working closely with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Governor Kotek’s office to analyze the full impact. The Governor has said that the state budget cannot fill all the gaps and that difficult decisions are ahead. Guidance around making changes is being developed. (view the rest of the update here)

As families continue to see changes in their benefits as well as other ongoing sources of assistance, we want to ensure that up-to-date resources and information are shared. Here's what we can do:

• Individuals who are interested should continue to apply for and use the benefits and services they qualify for.
• If you are seeking additional food resources, check out the ODHS page, 211info, Oregon Food Bank, and Access
• Stay up to date with ODHS's social media pages

A few members of our team were able to participate in the Southern Oregon Success Network meeting on January 29th. One of the panels focused around food security in our region, and had several local partners and food systems experts sharing what they are seeing day to day. Based on what they have observed at their organizations, food insecurity is on the rise in Southern Oregon. The demand for food assistance has increased substantially, even beyond what food banks and pantries saw during the pandemic. The panelists agreed that food insecurity has moved from a short-term emergency into a chronic and sustained need. Some of the constraints on the food systems that were mentioned by the panelists:

• Less food is coming to the food banks from federal and state sources
• Fewer organizations are able to sustain operations as the costs increase
• Transportation, rural isolation, seasonal availability, and limited service hours greatly impact the ability for community members to access the support that they need
• Systemic barriers, and increased fear in accessing public services also highlights the needs for more culturally safe and accessible options

Suffice to say, food systems are complex! The panelists did share opportunities for community members to get involved:

• Shop locally- Consider shifting where you are purchasing groceries and other items to locally owned stores, sourced with locally grown items
• Learn more about how to grow, pickle, preserve, cook, and recycle the produce you are using
• Learn more about our local food systems, and the ongoing collaborations
• Support local Food Projects which offer low-barrier, community-driven support for increasing the supply of non-perishables to local pantries
• Advocate! Use your voice across to advocate for change across multiple systems (Transportation, health, housing) to improve outcomes for everyone in Southern Oregon

An article from 2025 called out the rising concern of counterfeit car seats over the past couple years, and the risks they present for the safety of young children. Each year, thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Utilizing (and properly installing) a car seat that meets the safety standards can make all the difference. Families who shop online may believe that they are purchasing a legitimate car seat through third-party sellers like Temu, Shein, or Amazon, and should be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.

• For a link to the full article, click here
• For some general advice on car seats and what to look for, click here
• For a comprehensive product list of car seats, and what to look for based on your child's needs, click here

Please use the flyers below to check you car seat to ensure it is meeting the U.S. safety standards.

As we mentioned in the Fall Newsletter, we are bringing back the Partner Information Sessions we hosted prior to the pandemic. We have been surveying our cross-sector partners to learn what topics are most relevant to our community. More than half of all respondents prioritized Behavioral Health Supports for Children, Supports for Families with Young Children, and Services for Children who Experience a Delay or Disability. Our first Partner Information Sessions will focus on these three topics.

We are working to secure our speakers and will announce the dates soon. All sessions will be held over Zoom and will be recorded and shared on our webpage for easy access for anyone unable to attend.

To be responsive to budget cuts and protect the programming dollars we invest into the community, we have let go of our Medford office and you can now find us at our Growing Together Family Community Center at 310 SW H Street, in Grants Pass. Stop by and say hello and take a tour if you haven’t been here before!

The Growing Together Center continues to provide free, inclusive programs for families with young children! Our team prioritizes finding new ways to engage with families and our community. Drop by for some of our wonderful programming!!

Community Partners are welcome to invite their families to meet them at the center for meetings or intake appointments. We have a family room that can be reserved. Partners are also encouraged to accompany their families to attend one of the program offerings. It can feel intimidating to some families to walk through a new door for the first time, and a friendly partner joining them might help! The focus of the center is to build community, help families make social connections, and provide high quality programming that builds social and emotional skills in young children.

We are also excited to begin hosting Open Playgroups, and invite community partners to join us in hosting, sharing information about their services, and connecting with the families who come to Growing Together. We hope that these Open Playgroups will reduce barriers for families and allow them to learn more about services in their area in a space that is comfortable and familiar. If you would like to learn more, or host an Open Playgroup, please reach out to Jordan_Rogers@soesd.k12.or.us!

We have seen a significant increase in the demand for diapers. Regularly changed diapers are a necessity for the health of children and are also very expensive for families with young children.

We welcome any community support, financial donations, and diaper donations so we can continue to provide this service. No donation is too small.

Donations can be dropped off at the Growing Together Center between 10am - 2pm Monday-Friday at 310 SW H Street in Grants Pass.