Clackamas Education Service District opens the Clackamas Early Learning Center

Clackamas County became home to six new early learning classrooms located right in the heart of the community when the Clackamas Early Learning Center officially opened Wednesday, Oct. 2. The ribbon cutting ceremony brought together teachers, administrators, early learning specialists and local families.

The Early Learning Center is located in Clackamas, near the headquarters of Clackamas Education Service District.

“This center exemplifies Clackamas ESD’s mission to lead, serve, and innovate. It will be a place where families can access critical resources and where children will receive the foundation they need to thrive in school and in life. From early learning classrooms to family engagement activities, everything here is rooted in our core values of collaboration, respect, integrity, and excellence,” Clackamas ESD Superintendent Larry Didway said during his remarks.

The center is part of the district’s efforts to improve access to instruction and evaluation services for all Clackamas County families. The center specifically serves families with children ages 0-5.

“It focuses on providing accessible, inclusive and culturally responsive support to children and families from underserved populations, including those experiencing poverty, those experiencing disabilities and families who speak languages other than English,” Clackamas ESD said in a news release.

The lower floor of the Early Learning Center will offer evaluation services for preschool-aged children with learning delays or disabilities that could impact future learning.

The six classrooms, which are located on the second floor, are operated by Clackamas ESD partners Head Start to Success, Preschool Promise, the Clackamas ESD’s early childhood special education program and Clackamas County Children’s Commission (ClackCoKids).

These programs and partners allow Clackamas ESD to provide early learning evaluation and resources to groups who have historically been marginalized by public education systems in the United States. Their partnership with the Future Generations Collaborative will empower further regional collaborations to expand access to resources.