CARE Connections
CONTACT US
Phone: 541-888-7957
Email
Improving Care For Young Children
CARE Connections is your local Child Care Resource & Referral. This program provides lifelong learning opportunities and workforce-related quality training to Early Educators in Coos and Curry Counties. Our mission is to improve the quality of early care and education experiences for young children by providing education, information and support to people who care for them. CARE Connections links families and Early Educators to one another and to other resources in the community.
We are your go-to resource if you are:
- Interested in becoming an Early Educator or starting your own childcare business, and looking for information;
- Currently working in the field of early care and education and are in need of professional development, resources, and support; and
- In search of an early care and education program for your child that fits your needs.
Need Help?
If you need assistance in a language other than English, please call our office at (541) 888-7957.
Si necesita ayuda en un idioma que no sea inglés, llame a nuestra oficina al (541) 888-7957.
Если вам нужна помощь на другом языке, кроме английского, позвоните в наш офис по телефону (541) 888-7957.
CONTACT US
Phone: 541-888-7957
Email
CARE Connections Information
How to find child care
- Looking for child care?
Find Child Care Oregon - How to choose quality child care that fits your needs?
Steps to Finding Quality Child Care - How to know if a program is right for you?
Child Care Safety Portal - Other Resources
Become an early educator
Are you interested in joining the Early Learning workforce? Please follow these necessary steps to get started***:
- Enroll in the Child Care Licensing Division’s Central Background Registry
- After you are enrolled, you will get an access code to make an appointment to complete fingerprinting
- The following trainings can be found online and must be completed before entering the early learning workforce
- Recognizing & Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training
- Introduction to Child Care Health and Safety
- Introduction to Registered Family (2-part training)
- Prevention is Better Than Treatment
- Safe Sleep for Oregon’s Infants (if working with children under the age of 24 months)
- Complete Food Handler’s Certification
- Complete Pediatric CPR & First Aid Certification
- For Southwestern’s course offerings in Coos County please call (541) 888-7352
- If you are a resident of Curry County, please call (541) 813-1667.
*** Not all trainings are required of every position and type of care. Please refer to the following documents for clarification.
Professional development
Interested in pursuing a college degree or certificate in Early Childhood Education?
Interested in attending other trainings and workshops?
- Find them listed in our CARE Connections Newsletter:
- Oregon Registry Online (ORO) Statewide Training Calendar
- Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD) Online Training Portal
Need financial support to complete any of the above?
- Statewide Scholarship page (encompassing all scholarships)
- *ERDC Provider Training Stipend
- *Southern Oregon Early Learning Professional Development Consortium (SOELPDC)
- Financial Aid at Southwestern
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Lead Testing & Mitigation Reimbursement
*Reach out to CARE Connections team for these items via Email or by calling 541-888-7957.
Spark
Spark is Oregon’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). Spark is a program that raises the quality and consistency of child care and early learning programs across the state. This Quality Rating System recognizes, rewards and builds on what early learning and development programs are already doing well. It helps ensure children in Spark programs are ready for kindergarten by connecting programs and providers with free tools, financial incentives and professional advice that they can put into practice with confidence.
Find Spark resources here:
Baby Promise
Baby Promise is a pilot project through the Oregon Department of Education’s Early Learning Division funded through the Child Care and Development Block Grant designed to develop and refine strategies that build a supply of quality infant and toddler care. The goals are:
- Increase number of high quality infant-toddler child care providers, especially in communities with the greatest need;
- Increase access to high quality infant and toddler slots for low-income families;
- Increase the length of time that children maintain placement in high quality environments;
- Decrease the turnover rate for providers serving infants and toddlers; and
- Develop a scalable model.
For more information please visit Baby Promise.
Families
Interested in FREE child care for your infant or toddler? Apply in just two steps to see if you qualify!
STEP 1
Apply for Baby Promise
STEP 2
Apply for Employment Related Day Care (ERDC)
For questions, please contact:
Cari Pickett
(541) 290-4299
cari.pickett@socc.edu
Providers
If you are a provider interested in receiving increased support to provide high-quality infant and toddler care, or a family member of an infant or toddler looking for information about eligibility, please contact:
Ana Lugo-Ferrin, Infant Toddler Specialist
(541) 888-7108
alugoferrin@socc.edu
