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Oregon is aiming to improve child care across the state 鈥� expanding access, boosting quality and building more sustainability into the system. It鈥檚 not a moment too soon. , families are struggling to find high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs, and wait lists for care can be as long as three years. The longstanding, overlapping crises have immediate and long-term consequences for the economy and the health and well-being of Oregonians.

To achieve its goals, the state is enlisting the support of Oregon State University. As the state鈥檚 public, land-grant institution of higher education, OSU is committed to serving the people of Oregon. , the Early Learning System Initiative at OSU, is a vital new partner in the enterprise.

Megan McClelland, director of the , says discussions about ELSI began in 2020 when (then part of the Department of Education) requested a coaching framework for early learning professional development.

As McClelland and her colleagues planned, iterated and conducted interviews with stakeholder groups, more funding became available from a variety of sources totaling $14.4 million, and ELSI has branched out into other ways of improving the state鈥檚 workforce and system as a whole. In the midst of this metamorphosis, the division that sparked the initiative is undergoing a change of its own, becoming the .

鈥淚t feels like we’ve been in charge of a startup for the last two years,鈥� says McClelland.

Professional development remains at the heart of ELSI. This includes Practice-Based Coaching, which, according to Patricia A. Snyder of the University of Florida鈥檚 , needs to be 鈥渃ohesive and sustained over time rather than episodic, one-shot training. The content鈥� should focus on explicit curricula, interventions, or sets of practices rather than general teaching methods such as lesson planning or instructional grouping methods.鈥�

Bridget Hatfield, associate professor at OSU鈥檚 College of Public Health & Human Sciences, helped to develop a mentor coaching framework to support the state鈥檚 existing network of early childhood coaches. She partners with a quartet of ELSI mentor-coaches, who fan across the state to work with about 120 coaches (about 20 of whom are employed by ) 鈥� who then partner directly with the state鈥檚 early education workforce. 鈥淭his framework means there鈥檚 someone those educators can have reflective conversations with, whether it鈥檚 about how to be more intentional about using data or about their professional development.鈥�

Hatfield, who started her career as an educator with a child care center in southern Indiana before undertaking graduate and postgraduate studies, adds that improving teaching practices is just one aspect of the mentor-coaches鈥� work, along with values such as equity and anti-racism. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Elena Aguilar鈥檚 have been especially helpful for the mentor-coaches鈥� leadership journey. 鈥淭he educators benefit the most,鈥� she says, 鈥渨hen the coaches feel equipped and empowered.鈥�

ELSI is also engaging with statewide partners, gathering and reporting data to inform and improve policy, and elevating the voices of parents and caregivers. This work includes developing communities of practice with coaches around the state, partnering with other statewide centers at Portland State University and Western Oregon University and analyzing statewide data to provide recommendations for increasing the quality of early childhood education in Oregon.

鈥淐hild care is incredibly local,鈥� says Megan Pratt, OSU professor of practice. Child care solutions differ across communities. Some prefer mixed-age home-based programs, while others are looking for preschool center programs.

鈥淟ike a lot of other states,鈥� continues Pratt, who worked as a child care provider before earning her doctorate. 鈥淥regon is trying to figure out how to move from fragmentation toward a more cohesive system that works better for families and the workforce.鈥� For example, a better system will help ensure that federal relief dollars 鈥� as well as state money from Oregon鈥檚 program and pilot 鈥� flow to formal and informal providers more quickly and efficiently.

ELSI has engaged to provide business coaching to help connect the dots. The nonprofit organization delivers trainings and technical support to early child care centers and home-based providers.聽 鈥淲e offer tools to help these businesses become sustainable,鈥� explains Kari Stattelman, a business development consultant with First Children鈥檚 Finance. 鈥淭hat could be marketing, finance or record keeping. Some of them benefit by pooling resources through a shared services network. Others need help selecting and implementing a child care management system.鈥�

Thanks to the , everyone in Oregon鈥檚 early education workforce is getting two $500 checks with no strings attached. Of course, the other half of successfully connecting providers and checks is ensuring that providers know about these opportunities and have the capacity to apply. First Children鈥檚 Finance helps providers overcome linguistic and other challenges that might prevent them from securing funds for which they are eligible.

To build the capacity of providers and the strength of the overall landscape, ELSI will incorporate additional strategies over time. 鈥淒esign is never done,鈥� McClelland states. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a continual process, and we鈥檙e just beginning, but we鈥檙e already having an impact.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.