DELC outlines workforce plan: training, higher-education pathways, substitutes and statewide mental-health consultation

SALEM, Ore. — On March 5 the Department of Early Learning and Care presented lawmakers with data on Oregon’s early‑childhood workforce and a menu of programs intended to strengthen recruitment, education, retention and program quality.

John Reeves, DELC’s professional learning system director, told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means subcommittee on Education that the regulated early‑learning workforce is “extremely under compensated” and that state‑funded programs that include public dollars raise average wages for participants.

Why the workforce matters

Reeves said nearly 24,000 people work in regulated child‑care centers and family child‑care settings across Oregon. He said early‑education staff typically earn between $16 and $23 per hour in the general workforce, with an average annual salary of about $35,000 — roughly 55 percent of the average Oregon salary for other sectors. The agency reported turnover of about 23 percent between 2021 and 2022, and Reeves cited a 2024 talent assessment and national research linking low pay to workforce exits.

Mental‑health and working conditions

DELC described elevated anxiety and depression screening levels among early educators: agency slides reported 26.2 percent screening above cutoff levels for clinical anxiety and 15.9 percent above cutoff levels for clinical depression. Reeves said the agency’s Every Child Belongs initiative will expand infant and early‑childhood mental‑health consultation statewide to help programs keep children in care and support educators in managing challenging behaviors.

Programs and funding highlighted

Key programs and investments outlined by DELC included:

- Early Childhood Higher Education Consortium: Uses about $3.9 million in state funds to partner eight institutions of higher education and local Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies to reduce barriers to credentials; DELC reported 560 students enrolled and 104 credentials awarded in the first year.

- Oregon Registry (Portland State University Center for Career Development): DELC reported $7.6 million in state and federal funding supports training registration, career ladder steps and scholarships; the registry allows community‑based learning to be crosswalked to formal credentials.

- Every Child Belongs (statewide suspension/expulsion prevention): Established by 2021 legislation, DELC reported funding of about $15.7 million (including the governor’s requested $4.4 million increase) to expand infant/early‑childhood mental‑health consultation via the Oregon Infant Mental Health Association and 16 regional organizations. DELC said 22 consultant positions will be phased in to respond to program requests.

- Preschool Promise and state‑funded pre‑K programs: DELC said these public programs show higher wage averages (roughly $20–$30 per hour for Preschool Promise staff and $30,000–$48,000 annual averages for other state/federally funded pre‑K positions), illustrating how targeted public funding affects compensation.

- Substitute pool: DELC is funding a statewide substitute pool (about $3.6 million) to provide vetted substitutes for programs; Western Oregon University is implementing the pilot and DELC reported the pool supplied 1,146 substitute hours in an early four‑month period and had recruited 85 substitutes statewide.

- Child Care Infrastructure Fund technical assistance: DELC is using $5 million to provide TA (First Children’s Finance and Northwest Native Chamber) to help programs apply for Business Oregon infrastructure grants (Business Oregon’s fund is expected to distribute $50 million in grants).

- Shared services and SPARK (quality recognition): DELC described pilots of shared services (to reduce administrative burdens) and a planned redesign of SPARK, Oregon’s quality recognition and improvement system, after statewide community engagement with more than 2,200 participants.

Lawmakers’ questions and agency response

Committee members asked for numeric breakouts behind presented percentages, clarification of program costs (for Every Child Belongs and the substitute pool), and how DELC plans to prioritize its investments. DELC said it will provide written responses and additional slides on OLIS and that some programs are still phasing in between now and mid‑2025.

Quotations from the record

John Reeves: “the workforce is extremely under compensated.”

Dorothy Spence: “our current co pay structure provides a bridge for families to cross over the high cost child care years.”

Ending

DELC asked the committee for follow‑up oversight and said it will continue testimony the following day. No formal votes were taken during the March 5 informational session.