Latest news with #EmploymentRelatedDayCare
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Child care providers, parents call on Oregon Legislature to support subsidy program
Victoria Mendoza stands behind a podium alongside child care providers and advocates during an event to call attention to the need to fund child care. The event was held in front of the Oregon State Capitol on Monday, May 12, 2025. (Mia Maldonado / Oregon Capital Chronicle) Victoria Mendoza opened up a child care business in Salem 16 years ago — a decision inspired by her own need to find child care for her sons while maintaining a job. With child care providers located too far from where she lived, the former farmworker and immigrant from Mexico obtained a license so she could care for her own children and others. Since then, she's successfully managed her small business and watched hundreds of children in Salem. 'My plan was to stop once my kids were grown, but I love kids. My house feels empty without children,' she told the Oregon Capital Chronicle. But Mendoza, alongside many other Oregon child care providers, is bracing for the possibility of shutting down her business. With federal programs like Head Start facing potential cuts, child care providers like herself and low-income families are increasingly dependent on state support — particularly the Employment Related Day Care program. The state of Oregon subsidizes child care costs through the Employment Related Day Care program, which is open to low-income households. As of May, 16,300 Oregon families are enrolled, but another 11,300 remain on a waitlist, according to data from the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care. Another 4,200 families have been approved for financial support, but cannot find an eligible child care provider. This is largely because there are not enough child care providers in Oregon. A 2023 report from the state's Early Learning Division program found that nearly all of Oregon's counties are child care deserts, with one slot for every three children who need care. Without access to child care, parents like Mendoza are faced with limited options to give up their jobs or find other ways to manage child care. Mendoza, alongside advocates with Family Forward Oregon, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for child care support, called on the Oregon Legislature on Monday in front of the state capitol to pass four bills to support child care providers and low-income families. These bills include: Senate Bill 5514: $225 million to the Employee Related Day Care program, House Bill 2452: $9 million to strengthen Oregon's child care referral system, House Bill 3008: $15.4 million for child care workers to stay in and enter the profession House Bill 2593: Creates a workgroup to develop recommendations to improve Oregon's day care program and eventually end the waitlist for the program. Sen. Courtney Neron Misslin, D-Wilsonville, spoke in favor of the legislation. The educator and mother said she understands the struggles her constituents face trying to find child care. Thousands of Oregon, Washington children at risk if Head Start ends, lawsuit alleges 'The Trump administration is proposing devastating cuts to Head Start, SNAP and Medicaid funding,' she said. 'We must be ready. Oregon must act now to protect child care investments and ensure a stronger economy and a more resilient economy. Our state's role in improving access to high quality and affordable care is more important than ever.' Candice Vickers, executive director of Family Forward Oregon, said 20% of Oregon's child care workforce is run by immigrant women, and up to half of Oregon's child care workers are on Medicaid. 'We need that $225 million,' she told the Capital Chronicle. 'We know that it's a lot, and people see it as a competing interest, but — again you can see like Medicaid and the immigrant workforce — all of these issues are interconnected.' For Mendoza, state investment won't just save her business, but it will allow her to keep supporting local families in her community. 'When we support child care providers, we are also supporting families,' Mendoza said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two investments in children would create brighter future for them and the state
Children who have positive experiences in their early years are much more likely to graduate from high school, enjoy better health and have higher earnings as adults. (Photo byfor Community Change) If we want to create a bright future for our state, the most important thing we can do is invest in the well-being of children, especially our youngest children. Early childhood is the foundation of life. Children who have positive experiences in their early years are much more likely to graduate from high school, enjoy better health and have higher earnings as adults. The opposite is often true for children who, sadly, grow up in stressful environments and lack access to proven support. These outcomes, be they positive or negative, have a ripple effect not only on the children but also on our communities. It is vital that we, as a state, do what we can to ensure that children have a good start in life. There are a number of investments that the 2025 Oregon Legislature could make in that regard. Two of these would put more resources into Employment Related Day Care and strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit, policies that strengthen family finances. Children don't grow in isolation; they are part of families. The more financial resources a family has, the less likely it is that the child will endure the stress that comes with economic hardship and all its negative repercussions. Employment Related Day Care bolsters family finances by making child care affordable for families with the fewest resources. Child care is expensive, often carrying a bigger price tag than the cost of college. Because infants and young children require full-time care, the lack of access to affordable child care often prevents parents from taking a job and gaining a steady source of income. As its name suggests, Employment Related Day Care enables parents to join the workforce, confident in the knowledge that their little ones will get the care they need. For some parents, the program allows them to continue their education and gain new skills, which can lead to a better-paying job in the not-too-distant future. Unfortunately, the child care program lacks the resources to meet the needs of families. Nearly 10,000 families are on the waitlist to enter the program. Another 4,000 families already in the program cannot find a provider, as the low pay, workforce shortages and lack of suitable facilities produces a shortage of child care. Stepped up legislative investment in the program would support child development, provide economic opportunity to families and infuse Oregon's economy with needed workers. Work, unfortunately, often doesn't pay enough. Many parents working full time, or even working two jobs, struggle to pay the rent and other basic necessities. That's where the Earned Income Tax Credit comes in. Modeled after the federal tax credit with the same name, the Oregon credit puts money in the pockets of working families whose jobs don't pay enough to make ends meet. In delivering those extra dollars through the tax code, the tax credit is an efficient way to bolster family finances. It's no wonder the program has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Oregon's tax credit recognizes the importance of the first few years of life in a child's emotional and physical development. Some years back, the Legislature bumped up the size of the tax credit for families with children under the age of three. As good a program as the credit is, there is significant room for improvement. That is especially true when it comes to the size of the credit — the amount of help it delivers to families. Oregon's tax credit is just 9% of the federal tax credit for families with children age 3 or older, and 12% of the federal credit for younger children. That makes it one of the smallest Earned Income Tax Credits among all states that offer the tax credit. This session, the Legislature is considering boosting the state credit. House Bill 2958 would double the size of the credit, making it work better for working families. The investments we make as a state in the well-being of children can ease the financial stress many families presently endure, increasing the odds that these children will grow up healthy and able to thrive. That would be a win for our state, now and into the future. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
