Hello Southern Oregon Early Learning Community,

In this newsletter, you will hear about a few of our regional initiatives, in collaboration with our committed community partners and amazing families. Early Learning Hubs are regional conveners, system aligners, and investors of funding into our communities based upon what those communities need the most to support families with children birth through age five. There are sixteen hubs across Oregon and ours serves Jackson and Josephine counties. We use regional data to drive our work. You will notice two themes in these highlights: that we prioritize the wellbeing of our families with young children, and that we strive to improve supports to the child care workforce.

After reading this newsletter, please reach out if you would like to become engaged with one or more of the workgroups focused on the initiatives happening in the region. That’s where the magic happens!

If you want to go fast, go alone.

If you want to go far, go together.

African Proverb

With Gratitude,

René Brandon

Director

Southern Oregon Early learning Hub

Preschool Promise expanded enrollments throughout the state during the last program year. This growth created more publicly funded preschool enrollment opportunities for families, and made this Preschool Promise enrollment season the largest yet in Southern Oregon!

Our region now has 407 Preschool Promise enrollments, with 20 locations in Jackson County and 8 locations in Josephine County.

Though the majority of participating preschool programs are full and demand for services is high, we encourage interested families to get engaged. SOELS hub will continue to support families through the eligibility and enrollment process throughout the year, as spaces become available.

Families interested in Preschool Promise can visit our Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub webpage to learn more: https://www.soesd.k12.or.us/preschool-finder/

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn (KPL) Groups Are a Vital Investment of the Early Learning Hub, Serving 300 Families Weekly

For more than seven years, we have been the regional coordinator of these groups for southern Oregon. These free weekly playgroups are where caregivers, parents, and young children (0-6) meet others in their community and learn how to foster healthy child development and school readiness. KPL is a place where everyone, both children and adults, learn through play. Each playgroup offers developmentally appropriate activities such as singing, reading, and playing all while focusing on early literacy and social-emotional development of children. Groups are led by members of the community, and most are former attendees of KPL groups themselves.

Purpose of Kaleidoscope Play & Learn

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn works with caregivers and parents to support them in preparing children for success in school and life through quality early childhood experiences.

The purpose of Kaleidoscope Play & Learn groups is:

• To provide caregivers and parents with information, resources, support, and connections to promote optimal development of their children
• To build connections, friendships, and a circle of mutual support among people who have young children.
• To provide children with intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences with their peers and caregivers/parents.
• To instill in children and families the love of life-long learning.

Guiding Principles

Kaleidoscope Play & Learn takes a whole child – whole family – whole community approach. Children are members of families and communities and are affected by the well-being of their families and communities. Kaleidoscope Play & Learn works toward supporting families and communities where children can thrive and grow.

The Need is Great and We Are Always Looking to Offer More Groups

We are always looking for more facilitators, especially to expand support to our families whose home language is Spanish and to families living in our rural communities. If you are interested in learning more about receiving training to become a facilitator, please reach out to Teresa Slater at the Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub, teresa_slater@soesd.k12.or.us

Parent Quote:

“You helped our family so much and really bridged the gap for being ready for preschool and I don’t think [child] would have been as successful entering preschool if it wasn't for everything that you offer…Flash forward, now I have a 4.5 year old who is absolutely thriving in school and in her dance class thanks to the skills we gained with you.”

Bringing Families Together With New Family Community Centers in Grants Pass and Medford

In Spring of 2022, as we were coming out of the pandemic, life was different for everyone. It had been a challenging time for all of us, and especially for families with young children. When other complexities are layered in, such as language diversity, children experiencing a disability, families living in rural communities with few services, and families experiencing economic hardship, the challenges exponentially increase. Lack of access to timely supports, in-person services, and social connections adversely impact our families and their children. We decided it was important to hear from families, so we launched a community-wide survey and conducted interviews with families. 340 families responded!

We asked them how they were doing:

• Parents/guardians reported feeling isolated, without a strong network of friends or family support.
• They expressed serious concerns about their children’s social and emotional development, having been isolated from other people and only encountering masked people outside the home.
• They reported that virtual-only services were not ideal, and although it is nice to have the option to be in-person or virtual, some services work better in person

We asked them what they needed:

• More access to child care, play groups
• Activities such as music and dance, where children can connect with other children and parents can connect with other parents
• They also expressed that these opportunities need to be fully accessible – affordable, offered in preferred language, and accommodating to all ability levels

We listened and went to work, investing in Family Community Centers in both Jackson and Josephine Counties and investing in free programming to bring families together.

Just picture 2 1/2-year-old Ava with her rosy cheeks from the chilly morning, colorful rainboots, and her big brown eyes. She can't wait to enter the front door with her hands over her head, and a beaming smile, her little legs can't walk fast enough to her Kaleidoscope Play & Learn Group, while her mama tries to keep up with a new baby in tow. We quickly remind Mom that there is a fresh pot of coffee on the counter and our diaper closet is open. We both smile at Ava's enthusiasm. While little Ava is there to play, she is rewarded with evidence-based, high-quality social and emotional programming, rooted in early literacy, while her mother is cultivating her own supportive connections and friendships. This is good stuff, the type of collaboration that feels good to families.

Improving Child Care Access and Supports to Child Care Programs is Critical

In Fall of 2022, we conducted a regional early learning system analysis, specifically looking at child care access and affordability.

What we found for ACCESS is that for Jackson and Josephine Counties:

• 13% of children under age two have access to a slot
• 30% of children ages 3 to 5 have access to a slot

A county is considered a child care desert if fewer than 33% of children have access to a slot.

We then looked at AFFORDABILITY:

The cost of child care ranges from $740-950 for a preschool age child and $800-1,325 for an infant.

• 53% of families in our region with children under age six live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (for a family of four, that is below $60,000 per year)
• These families would qualify for subsidized programs, such as Preschool Promise
• 6% of children under age 2 who would qualify for a subsidized slot have access, due to limited availability
• 25% of children ages 3 to 5 who would qualify for a subsidized slot have access, due to limited availability
• Without a subsidized slot, few of these families will have access to child care. This impacts a parent’s ability to work and a child’s opportunity for a high quality early learning experience prior to kindergarten

In Spring 2023, we surveyed our child care workforce to find out how our teachers are doing. We heard from 213 early educators across Jackson and Josephine Counties:

• 50% have 5 or more children in their class who experience behaviors that are considered outside of typical preschool behaviors such as injuring peers or teachers; teachers feel these children would benefit from some one on one supports for emotion regulation
• 80% feel that other children in the classroom are being negatively impacted by he behaviors they are witnessing or experiencing
• 59% said these escalated behaviors are impacting their desire to do this work
• 71% stated they need more adults in the classroom, beyond the licensing ratio of 2 adults for 20 children
• 77% mentioned specialists supporting children in the classroom, and/or Infant Early Childhood Consultation for teachers would be beneficial

Preschool Promise Coordinated Enrollment

541-776-8590 ext.1190

Claudia_Leonard@soesd.k12.or.us