Quarterly Newsletter
October- December 2023
Welcome!
Hello Southern Oregon Early Learning Community,
Here we are at the end of January 2024 already! Everyone I talk with agrees that time is moving really quickly. I feel a sense of urgency for the children and families in Jackson and Josephine counties and I know you do as well. Children and families cannot wait, they need more support now. We are about to enter into Oregon’s legislative short session.
The key investments we want to see our legislature support include:
- Preschool Promise
- Parenting Education
- A diverse and fairly compensated early childhood workforce
- Early Childhood Equity Fund
- Relief Nurseries (Funding ask of $2.7 million)
- Early Intervention/ Early Childhood Special Education (Funding ask of $22 million)
- Early Head Start & Head Start
- Home Visiting
- Child Care
- Early Childhood Facilities & Infrastructure. (Funding ask of $5 million)
- Employment Related Daycare (ERDC) (Funding ask TBD)
Click Here to view the 2024 Oregon Early Childhood Coalition Legislative Agenda
Here are some ways you can prepare to advocate:
- An easy step you can do RIGHT NOW is register to receive updates from Children’s Institute regarding advocacy opportunities. Sign up HERE.
- You can also take steps to be prepared for future opportunities to advocate by using the Share Your Story - A Guide for Advocacy in English and Spanish
- You can share your story with your local legislators, you can find them HERE
- Reach out to us and join some of the initiatives happening across the region.
- Make a donation on our website!
When colleagues from around the state ask us how Southern Oregon is able to put new initiatives into action, I say it’s because of the longstanding spirit of collaboration we have down here. Let’s keep that spirit going strong. Please commit to taking action on behalf of young children and their families and identify what you will commit to doing this year. Everyone has a role to play, whether it be advocacy, financial support, or systems level engagement in the initiatives we highlight every quarter. We need you. Families need you.
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
Child Care Expansion Campaign
Improving Child Care Access and Supports to Child Care Programs is Critical
The Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub is focused on increasing family stability and access to child care for families in Jackson and Josephine County who have children under age six. 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:
- 53% of families in our region with children under age six live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and cannot afford child care
- These families would qualify for subsidized programs, but there aren’t enough slots:
- 6% of children under age 2 who would qualify actually get a slot;
- 25% of children ages 3 to 5 who would qualify actually get a slot;
- 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;
- 80% feel that other children in the classroom are being negatively impacted by the behaviors they are witnessing or experiencing;
- 59% said these escalated behaviors are impacting their desire to do this work
Please reach out to René Brandon at rene_brandon@soesd.k12.or.us to learn about our strategies to address each of these needs and see how you can become a child care champion.
Partnering with Josephine County System of Care
Mid-October, the Hub received $10,000 from the Josephine County System of Care. The funds were flexible in nature, called "agile funds" due to the ability to quickly respond and address non-medical needs for families in Josephine County. The only small complication was that all the funds had to be spent out by December 31st, 2023.
To get started, the Hub was able to partner with the Early Head Start program at Grants Pass High School to buy a car seat for an expecting teen mother who met her goal of passing her end of semester finals.
Next, we were able to partner with Rogue Food Unites, who built 150 holiday food boxes that were distributed at the Growing Together Family Community Center to families who signed up. The food boxes were filled with organic, non-perishable items that added up to 7 meals worth of food. Families were able to choose between a Holiday option, which included items like instant mashed potatoes, gravy mix, and stuffing mix, or a Standard option that included chips, salsa, and mac & cheese along with the sugar, flour, beans, cereal, dried fruit, and other items already available in each box.
For the remaining ~$2,500, the Hub reached out partner organizations and asked them to apply on behalf of families who may be struggling and in need of extra supports. We had hoped for 5-10 responses but were amazed to see requests for 33 families. The team decided to utilize Hub Coordination funds to match the $10,000 from Josephine County System of Care. We were able to partner with Maslow Project and Oregon Child Development Coalition to provide funds for seven families they were serving to pay rent, prevent an eviction, get a bed tent for a child with sensory sensitivities, pay for a family’s registration, tags, and license renewal, and provide gas cards for transportation struggles.
The Hub was also able to coordinate with 23 families to provide them all with $500 of support right before the holidays, be it covering part of their rent, paying off part a car repair bill, or a gift card to purchase gas, food, diapers, and winter clothes.
A couple families shared the impact:
- "Thank you so much for helping us with the Fred Meyer gift cards. We have already been using them for fuel and some needed seasonal medication. I had to start antibiotics today and was able to afford probiotics because of having the gift card funds. It is so nice to have the stress of fueling our vehicles taken away for a few weeks."
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“The grant money helped our family so much! At the end of the year, we are very short on money due to time off work for inventory, and this money was able to help us tremendously by paying almost all our rent. That gave us the leeway to give our kids a good Christmas and be able to have money to buy food for our house. We are so very grateful!”
“It was super helpful in keeping my gas tank full for the month, I was also able to purchase food for my daughter and I, as well as work uniforms I usually cannot buy (Scrubs) as they usually run around $60 a pair. I was also able to get some warm clothes for the upcoming weather we are about to have for my daughter and I to stay warm. I am super grateful for the money. I was also able to save $700 of my own money to savings that will be used for a new timing belt and water pump on my rig, so my vehicle stays running.”
Thank you again to the Josephine County System of Care for providing us with the opportunity, and to all our partner organizations who jumped into action and were so responsive in order to support families right before the holiday break.
I began facilitating Kaleidoscope Play and Learn groups in 2018. Recently, I interviewed a young woman who came to one of my first play groups, and through the years has become a dear friend.
Siri and her family came to the Rogue Valley from Florida. At that time, she was a stay-at-home mom of Ozzy, age 2, Izzy, barely 1year old and pregnant with her third child, Declan. Her then partner worked days, and Siri would work nights at DoorDash to try to make ends meet. The isolation and subsequent depression that came from being a full-time mom of two toddlers and pregnant with her third, was overwhelming. Combining this with being new to the valley, with no familial support, Siri was looking for help. Help came in the form of a free, welcoming program for her and her children. As she put it, “KPL is a pre-preschool! It is a non-judgmental arena to hone social skills, develop emotional regulation and make friends… for both children and parents alike.”
Siri also shared how important the play group was in helping her find and build “her tribe”. The program format provides fertile ground to grow successful relationships for parents and caregivers, since they have a common base of interest and struggle. Whether it be dealing with teething, potty training, temper tantrums or for older children, choosing the right school for their child, KPL is a relaxed time to visit with friends and provides a pool of shared knowledge and resources. And as facilitators, it is our mission and privilege to point families to available resources, many of which are sponsored by our Early Learning Hub.
The Kaleidoscope Play and Learn group also helped this family develop a deep love for books. Siri is so appreciative of this grant from the Early Learning Hub that provides one free book every week for every family. A conservative estimate would be that this family received over 200 books throughout the course of their participation in the program. That makes for a lot of good reading!
Now that Siri’s children are in school, she too has gone back to school. After completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology, she will be pursuing a career in family counseling.
“Miss Janet, you must know that you and our class became a lifeline for me during an extremely challenging time in my life”. Through laughter and tears, successes, and struggles we all grow as individuals, as families and as a community. Deep relationships are built when we walk beside families during the complex years of infancy and into kindergarten. What a challenge, what a privilege!
Janet Christian, Kaleidoscope Facilitator
Play, Learn & Grow Together!
In the heart of Downtown Grants Pass, the Growing Together Family Community Center is flourishing, thanks to the backing of the Southern Oregon Early Learning Hub. The center offers free, evidence-based programs that align with the Strengthening Families Framework to boost protective factors for families in Josephine County.
Growing Together is an inclusive, family-friendly space rooted in social and emotional learning for children aged 0 to 5. The center received a $5,000 donation from Porchfest 2023, an annual music festival. These funds have been instrumental in acquiring musical instruments and curriculum, enhancing the music programs for children and babies.
Special recognition goes to Steve Roe for his generous $1,000 donation, supporting the center's vital programs, such as Children's Yoga and Aikido, the martial art of peace. These contributions, along with the continued support of the Fourway Foundation, Redwood Foundation, Oregon Health Authority, and the Family Nurturing Center underscore the powerful impact of community support in helping children thrive and prepare for kindergarten.
All classes, playgroups, and support groups are free! Please visit the event calendar and join the fun!
Baby Playgroup at the Growing Together Center
Diaper Need
1 in 2 U.S. families cannot afford enough diapers to keep their infant or child clean, dry, and healthy.
Diaper need is a growing problem in our country. A clean diaper means a happy baby, but according to new data from The NDBN Diaper Check 2023: Diaper Insecurity among U.S. Children and Families, 1 in 2 U.S. families cannot afford enough diapers to keep their infant or child clean, dry, and healthy. These babies are more vulnerable to painful rashes and urinary tract infections and have more trips to the doctor. 3 in 5 parents miss work or school because they can’t afford the diapers required to leave their baby in child care. Clean diapers are a basic need of every baby and toddler.
Without clean diapers:
babies are exposed to potential health risks and toxic stress;
mothers are at risk for increased maternal depression;
parents are unable to access child care, which require a daily supply of diapers; and,
parents miss work or school.
The Growing Together Community Center, with support from the Family Nurturing Center continues to supply diapers, pull-ups, wipes, and formula for families in need. The diaper closet is for emergency use, and to supplement a family's current supply, but we know the cost of diapers is high, and the need is great. We welcome any community support, financial donations, and diaper donations so we can continue to provide this service. Donations can be dropped off at our SOELS Medford office, or at the Growing Together Center.
The Family Connection
The Family Connection is the go-to FREE parenting place for Jackson and Josephine County parents and people in parenting roles. All types of parents are welcome to participate in a variety of evidence-based group parenting programs and workshops (on Zoom and in-person) to learn child development knowledge, positive discipline, family communication, stress management, self-regulation and positive parenting skills that will last a lifetime!
Parents that attend a free parenting program will receive:
- A "FAMILY FUN BOX" that includes books, games, parent-child activities, handbooks and items for your class, etc.
- Connections to community resources.
- A certified parenting educator to "Ask the Expert" during the program.
- Connections to other parents & support.
- Parenting skills to positively change the family.
- Participation certificate, if needed, for agencies needing that type of information.
There are many parenting workshops and programs to choose from for parents and caretakers of all ages of children. Visit thefamilyconnect.org/families-parents for updated offerings each school quarter.
LISTO Parents are making their voices heard in our community!
SOELS is a proud sponsor of LISTO and their programs!
On November 14, 21 LISTO parents participated in a listening session for a community initiative on children’s social-emotional health. The initiative is led by All Care, Jackson Care Connect, and Southern Oregon Early Learning Services.
The goals of this community initiative are to:
- Increase access to social-emotional health screenings and services throughout the region for little kids so they can be ready for and successful in kindergarten.
- Work with community partners to remove barriers and to increase the capacity for social-emotional health services offered in the area.
- Review the 2023 action plan and offer new ideas for 2024’s next steps.
This is the second year that LISTO parents have participated in this initiative. Not only are they learning more about their children’s growth and the services available locally, they are speaking up and sharing their ideas about how things could be better for families like theirs.
Parenting Education and Parent Leadership Development is an important part of the work we do with LISTO. As staff members, we are so impressed with the learning we see in all of our participants; we watch them grow academically, personally, socially, and as active community members.
Do you know a Spanish speaking family in Jackson County that would benefit from LISTO?
Have them call 541-531-6915 and talk with Eunices Ayala Velasco – LISTO Parent Coordinator
You can find the Bilingual Referral Form in the LISTO Program tab in the Head Start website.
David Hansen with Jackson Care Connect shares about children’s social-emotional health initiative with Spanish speaking parents.
Our community partners ALL Care, Jackson Care Connect, and Southern Oregon Early Learning Services offered LISTO parents a warm welcome and a delicious lunch at their listening session!
LISTO parents came to share with the community about one of their highest priorities, the social-emotional health of their children.
Meet the Staff!
René Brandon
Teresa Slater
Early Learning Systems Facilitator
Early Learning to Kindergarten Transition
541-776-8590 ext. 1149
541-776-6752
Vicki Risner
Molly McLaughlin
Early Learning Systems Facilitator
Preschool Promise Coordinated Enrollment
541-776-8590 ext. 1150
Claudia Leonard
Bilingual Administrative Assistant III
Preschool Promise Coordinated Enrollment
541-776-8590 ext.1190
Sydney Wing
Early Learning Systems Facilitator
Family Engagement, Home Visiting, Preschool Promise Coordinated Enrollment
541-776-8590 ext. 1148
Jordan Rogers
Early Learning Systems Facilitator
Family Engagement, Support at Growing Together Family Community Center, Preschool Promise Coordinated Enrollment
541-776-8590 ext. 1163