RFA - PSP - Waitlist for 25-27 - Northwest Early Learning Hub

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care is requesting applications for preschool providers to join the Preschool Promise program's Eligible Provider List for the Northwest Early Learning Hub serving Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties, with applications due August 17, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PST. Selected applicants will be placed on a waitlist for Preschool Promise slots should positions become available through June 30, 2027; there is no guarantee of space allocation.

Eligible provider types include certified child care centers, family child care providers, community-based organizations, culturally specific organizations, public and charter schools, Head Start programs, and other designated early learning entities. Applicants must hold current active licensing with no more than two serious violations in the past 24 months and no civil penalties in the past 12 months. Programs must serve children ages three to five from families at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines and children in foster care. Lead teachers must hold bachelor's degrees in early childhood education or equivalent credentials; teacher assistants must meet Step 5 on the Oregon Registry Online or comparable qualifications.

Grant funding is structured at $16,000 per slot annually, plus $1,150 per slot for transportation enhancement and $2,040 per slot as one-time startup costs. Administrative costs are capped at 15 percent of the total budget. Awarded providers must operate a minimum of 900 direct service hours annually across at least 265 consecutive calendar days, with daily service between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., at least four days per week, and a minimum of six hours daily. Classrooms must maintain a maximum of 18 children with a 1:9 adult-to-child ratio. Programs must implement evidence-based curricula aligned with Oregon's Early Learning and Kindergarten Guidelines and cannot charge fees to eligible families.

Applicants are evaluated on 13 criteria totaling 100 points, including program mission and vision, racial and cultural equity, family engagement, financial controls, business strategy, and staffing and compensation models, plus up to three community needs points based on geographic location, setting type, and language of instruction alignment. A pre-application webinar is scheduled for July 21, 2026 (2:00 p.m. PST English; 3:00 p.m. PST Spanish). Questions are due July 24, 2026. Award notifications are anticipated for September 3, 2026, followed by a seven-calendar-day protest period. Contact Jordyn Stanley at jordyn.stanley@delc.oregon.gov for inquiries.