Child Care Resources
Who We AreStaff
Baker Office
Chalene Harshman (Infant Toddler Specialist)
Chalene Harshman was born and raised in Baker City, Oregon, where she still lives today with her family. A passionate advocate for children and families, Chalene recently earned her Graduate Certificate in Infant and Toddler Mental Health from Portland State University and is honored to serve communities throughout Eastern Oregon in this capacity.
Chalene brings a unique and meaningful blend of professional experience to her work. Before entering the early childhood mental health field, she served as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor for New Directions Northwest at the Powder River Correctional Facility. There, she supported individuals in the Alternative Incarceration Program who were working to heal and grow in their roles as fathers, partners, and community members.
Earlier in her career, Chalene worked for six years as a Teller and Banker at Wells Fargo, providing financial support and services to local families while completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development.
Helping others has always been at the heart of Chalene’s journey. As she grew older, her focus naturally turned toward supporting young children and the caregivers who nurture them. She is especially passionate about early learning, trauma-informed care, and strengthening relationships during the critical early years of life.
Chalene is proud to live and work in the community that raised her and is committed to making a lasting difference in the lives of the families she serves.
Kyla Emerson (Quality Improvement Specialist )
Kyla Emerson grew up in the rural town of Monument, Oregon. Kyla graduated from TVCC with her Associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Prior to this role, Kyla worked at a daycare in Meridian, Idaho where she was the lead teacher of the two year old classroom. Working with children has always been a passion of Kyla’s, so the opportunity to work with the providers and early childhood educators is very important to her!
Outside of work, Kyla enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Kyla’s favorite thing to do is spend time cooking with her grandmother back home in Monument. When Kyla is not doing these things, she is spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, or hiking.
Staff
Ontario Office
Theresa Martinez (Child Care Resources Director)
Theresa Martinez transitioned into her role as the Child Care Resources Coordinator from her previous role as the Eastern Oregon Early Learning Hub, Early Learning Coordinator. Theresa has had the privilege of working with some of the early educators in the region through Preschool Promise and other Hub sponsored professional development opportunities. Before entering the Early Learning arena, Theresa spent 13 years in the classroom teaching Special Education and Alternative Education at every level from kindergarten to high school. While Theresa enjoyed her years in the k-12 classroom, she absolutely loves everything about early learning!
Outside of work, Theresa stay busy with her husband, three children, two cats, one dog, three fish, and six backyard chickens, who she refers to as her ladies. Theresa enjoys nothing more than spending time reading in the backyard with her ladies running around her. When Theresa is not caring for her crew and spending quality time with them, she loves to cook, read, put together jigsaw puzzles, and brew and drink kombucha.
Noelia Monroy (Bilingual Administrative Assistant)
We would like to welcome Noelia Monroy to our team at EOCCR as our bilingual, English/Spanish administrative assistant in charge of coordinating all of our trainings. Noelia is a native Eastern Oregonian and is a graduate of Nyssa High School. Before she came to the EOCCR team, she spent 15 years in the early learning field in a variety of positions at Oregon Child Development Coalition in Ontario, OR.
Outside of work, Noelia is a single mother to five children. She loves spending time with them doing activities like going to see movies and going out to eat.
Amy Fernandez (Bilingual Quality Improvement Specialist)
Amy Fernandez currently works for Eastern Oregon Child Care Resources as the Bilingual Quality Improvement Specialist in Malheur County. She has experience working in an elementary school setting in a variety of roles working with both children and families. Through these many roles working to empower families, she recognizes the value of connections made between children, families and educational support. She is excited to serve the community where she was raised.
Outside of work, Amy is a resource parent who enjoys new adventures with her family.
Janice Grengs ( Inclusion Specialist)
My passion has always been to teach and I have worked in the field of education for over 25 years. I was a K12 teacher for the last seven years and am now very excited to work in the field of early learning.
As an inclusion specialist, I am invested in helping early educators understand the meaning behind the challenges they may encounter in their work and develop strategies and universal routines that enable all children to find a sense of belonging and inclusion in the preschool classroom.
Outside of work I love reading, gardening, and spending time in nature
Charmayne Scow ( Preschool Promise Coach)
Staff
Enterprise Office
Lisa Pringle (Quality Improvement Specialist)
Lisa is dedicated to helping others .
