Tribal Nations And The Department Of Early Learning And Care Collaborate To Advance Opportunities For Tribal Children (Photo) - 04/07/26
SALEM, ORE. – The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) held the first Oregon Tribal Early Learning Alliance (OTELA) meeting with Tribal early childhood education and care leaders to develop a plan to build a stronger future for Tribal youth and families in Oregon.
“The collaborative discussion between our Tribes and the state gave inspirational hope the future actions to be taken will best serve our birth to age 8 members, our "littles", as they need,” said Julie Siestreem, Hanis Coos, Tribal Council member of the Confederated Tribes of Coos Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
To recognize Tribal sovereignty and right to self-determination, the Oregon legislature passed a bill in 2025 to create OTELA and the Tribal Early Learning Plan and Fund. Representatives from each of the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes in Oregon are working closely with DELC’s Office of Tribal Affairs, to guide the development and implementation of the plan.
“We are grateful to begin this work in true partnership with Oregon’s sovereign Tribal Nations,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “We are excited to listen, learn, and honor the leadership of Tribes as they tell the state what they envision for their children, birth through age eight. Their guidance is essential, and it will shape a stronger, more responsive early learning system for Tribal children and families across Oregon."
The statewide early learning and care plan is for Native American and Alaska Native children, ages birth to eight, who are enrolled in one of the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes within Oregon’s borders or participate in Tribal-operated early childhood care or education programs.
“It is exciting to see the voices of our Tribal people being prioritized in any level of education. Both OTELA and the Tribal Early Learning Plan and Fund demonstrate DELC’s commitment to meaningful collaboration with Oregon Tribes," said Justine Flynn, School Administrator for the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde’s Chinuk Wawa language immersion Shawash-iliʔi Skul, and one of the Tribe’s OTELA representatives. "In addition, facilitation of the OTELA group offers Oregon Tribes the space to engage in big picture planning with regards to education for our tribal people in both the short and long term."
Learn more about OTELA and follow the committee’s work on our website: Oregon Tribal Early Learning Alliance.
About the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care
The Department of Early Learning and Care’s mission is to foster coordinated, culturally appropriate, and family-centered services that recognize and respect the strengths and needs of all children, families, and early learning and care professionals. More information about DELC is available at Oregon.gov/DELC. You can also connect with DELC on Facebook or sign up for news alerts and updates.
