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Council approves temporary ERDC exemption to preserve Baby Promise slots
Summary
The council adopted a temporary administrative rule exempting Baby Promise contracted slots from the ERDC waitlist so approved families can enroll in Baby Promise despite the statewide ERDC waitlist. Motion by Katie Brooks, seconded by Robin Hill Dunbar; the council voted unanimously to adopt the temporary exemption on 2024‑09‑25.
DELC staff presented three ERDC rule clarifications (verification consolidation, caretaker language, and fringe‑benefit treatment) and described a temporary rule to exempt Baby Promise contracted slots from the ERDC waitlist. Madi Rosengarten, Baby Promise manager, explained the rationale: a large fraction of Baby Promise slots would open this fall as enrolled children age out, and the active ERDC waitlist would otherwise prevent timely filling of those contracted slots.
"There were approximately 550 families in the eligible‑but‑unconnected bucket and about 450 of those were in Multnomah County," Rosengarten said, summarizing outreach to see if families could be enrolled. DELC also reported limited success so far in converting approved but unconnected families into enrolled Baby Promise participants and proposed the exemption as a practical remedy to sustain contracted slots.
Council member Katie Brooks moved to adopt temporary rule language to allow Baby Promise slots to bypass the ERDC waitlist; Robin Hill Dunbar seconded. The council approved the temporary rule unanimously by voice/hand vote. Staff said the temporary change would be implemented in the state eligibility system on October 16 and that DELC would report back on enrollment effects at the December meeting.
