Southern Oregon Early Learning Services (SOELS) is the Early Learning Hub serving Jackson and Josephine Counties
What is a Hub? A Hub is an organized group of people collaborating toward a shared vision and shared goals. Like all the 16 Hubs in Oregon, SOELS is designed to make resources for children, prenatally through six years and their families, more available, more accessible, and more effec
tive. Early Learning Hubs collaborate with early childhood programs to translate the research on early development into result-oriented interventions and programs. Jackson and Josephine Counties have a regional total population of 22,644 children. SOELS has chosen to focus on 16,055 children within the two counties, a figure representing 70.9 % of children in the two-county region who were determined to be at-risk due to conditions of poverty, abuse, neglect and other challenging conditions. Careful attending is paid to the children who are not receiving the services they need to address the achievement gaps among the youngest and most vulnerable citizens. SOELS brings together community leaders from early childhood education and child care, health care, K-12 education, social services, business, and the faith community to build strong alliances and networks that translate into effective and aligned programs. In doing so, expertise and resources can be shared to strengthen services and avoid duplication. A Parent Advisory Council brings to voices and needs of parents into the planning of interventions and programs that can respond directly to the unique conditions affecting families. SOELS’ Initiatives:
Kindergarten Partnership and Innovation Projects: promoting kindergarten readiness and parent engagement through support of teacher training, planning of special projects and events, and connections between the child care providers and elementary schools. The overall goal is to align these two worlds to strengthen support the ease and success of children. Early Literacy: Providing special services to preschool children in Josephine County to promote exposure to printed material by distributing books helping parents gain skills in working with their children ways to help children prepare for reading
Home Visiting Network: Promoting high-quality and evidence-based home visiting services by forming a network of programs and providers who collaborate in planning trainings, raising awareness about needs of families and expanding the services to include more visitors
Child Care Quality and Expansion: Promoting the improvement of quality child care programs including Family Home Providers, Child Care Centers, and Preschools, through the use of the Quality Improvement Rating Scale (QRIS) and other programs.
