1. (1) "Career and Technical Education (CTE)" means a sequence of courses, aligned to industry standards at the secondary and post-secondary level that integrates technical and career skill proficiencies with relevant academic content. A CTE Program of Study prepares students for the workplace, further education, training, and community roles. A CTE Program of Study is approved by the Oregon Department of Education.
2. (2) "Coaching" means a form of professional development that is a relationship-based process, as approved by the department, designed to build capacity for specific professional dispositions, skills, and behaviors. It is a partnership that supports the development of self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-directed action.
3. (3) "Competency or Competencies" means the essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions, that early childhood educators must demonstrate to effectively support the development, learning, and well-being of all young children who are zero through six years of age or those in out of school time care.
4. (4) "Department" or DELC means the Department of Early Learning and Care.
5. (5) "Early Childhood Education Allied Higher Education " means degrees, certifications, and postsecondary coursework credits related to providing services to children who are zero through six years of age or those in out of school time care, including but not limited to psychology, sociology, anti-bias education, secondary education, and social work.
6. (6) "Early Childhood Education Higher Education" means degrees, certifications, and postsecondary coursework credits of child care and education including but not limited to early childhood education, child development, human development, elementary education, Educational leadership, human ecology, home economics, family and consumer studies, child and family studies, education, and special education-early intervention.
7. (7) "Early Childhood Education Work Experience" means time spent providing learning experiences and a range of early childhood services to children who are zero through six years of age or those in out of school time care.
8. (8) "Early Childhood Education Workforce Registry Database" also known as "Oregon Registry Online (ORO)" is a statewide database that stores all submitted training and education information for Oregon's childhood care and education professionals.
9. (9) "Early Learning Workforce (member)" means those individuals employed or seeking employment to provide direct services or to support the provision of services to children who are zero through six years of age or those in out of school time care, including but not limited to early childhood educator, social services, child welfare, family support, mental; childcare facility directors/administrators, occupational; nutritional, physical and behavioral health, , and education work.
10. (10) "Facilitated Peer Learning Groups" means learning communities as approved by the department such as communities of practice or Focused Child Care Networks.
11. (11) "Mentoring" means peer-to-peer professional learning relationship, as approved by the department focused on transfer-to-practice and reflective consultation.
12. (12) "Oregon's Core Knowledge Categories" or CKCs means the subject-matter areas, as defined by the Oregon Center for Career Development in Early Childhood Care and Education, that organize training and professional development for the early learning workforce. Trainings are classified by Core Knowledge Category for the purposes of approval, workforce registry documentation, licensing requirements, and professional development tracking.
13. (13) "Oregon Registry" or "Workforce Registry" means a statewide registry that documents and verifies the education, training and experience of childhood care and education professionals to support professional development and career growth. It provides a structured pathway to document and share their professional development progress. The Oregon Registry Online (ORO) is one tool within the Oregon Center for Career Development at Portland State University’s Oregon Registry to support Early Learning Workforce Members to document their career growth and professional development. There exist DELC programs and policies that may require engagement with the registry to obtain or sustain employment.
14. (14) "Tribal knowledge and experience" may include but is not limited to; tribal language, cultural knowledge, Indigenous pedagogical approaches, Indigenous ways of knowing, traditional ecological knowledge, ceremonies, native storytelling, Tribal history, expertise providing learning experiences and a range of early childhood tribal services.

Statutory/Other Authority

329A.525

Statutes/Other Implemented

329A.525

History

DELC 10-2025, adopt filed 12/17/2025, effective 01/01/2026