Oregon Boosts Early Learning Access for Nearly 2,000 More Children With Disabilities Since 2020

A report released by the Oregon Department of Education and the Department of Early Learning and Care yesterday indicates that almost two thousand more children with disabilities in Oregon received special education services in early childhood learning classrooms in the 2023-24 school year compared to the 2020-21 school year.

More Children With Disabilities Are Getting Access To Early Childhood Learning

The Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion Initiative Impact Report was published as the country celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The Early Childhood training materials include foundational strategies that help early educators engage all children in learning that meets their developmental and social/emotional needs, and the report confirmed that:

• Access to preschool programs has increased by 17% since the initiative started in 2020.
• Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education programs and staff have been key partners in advancing quality inclusive early learning across Oregon.
• Under the direction of ODE and the Oregon Early Childhood Inclusion State Leadership Team, the Early Learning System Initiative at Oregon State University developed and hired a team over the last two years that dramatically increased access to Pyramid Model training for trainers and directly for early educators to more than 1,000 professionals. The initiative Initiative at OSU is funded by DELC and ODE.
• The systems approach has shown it leads to better outcomes for children and their families.
• Thanks to investments by the Oregon Department of Education’s Early Intervention/Early Childhood Education System, ePyramid modules are now free and accessible to every early educator in Oregon in English and Spanish.

Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education, confirmed that access to early childhood learning classrooms helps children develop essential social, emotional, communication, thinking, literacy, and physical skills, laying a strong foundation for future success.

She confirmed that caregivers, teachers, and providers also benefit from on-the-job training and coaching on lesson planning, strengthening their ability to nurture essential skills in Oregon’s young learners and creating inclusive learning environments that set children on a path to long-term success.