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Senators highlight child-care crisis during 'National Day Without Child Care' remarks
Summary
Senators used floor time to mark National Day Without Child Care and to urge attention to shortages, high costs, and long waitlists for childcare supports in Oregon.
Several senators used remonstrances on the Senate floor to highlight the strain on Oregon’s child-care system during the observance of National Day Without Child Care.
Senator Anderson said the day calls attention to a child-care system that is “unaffordable and unavailable,” citing an average annual infant-care cost in Oregon of nearly $20,000. “The average cost of infant care in Oregon is almost $20,000 annually,” Anderson said, and she told colleagues that Oregon needs an estimated 12.6% more providers to meet demand. Anderson also said that more than 10,000 families are on waiting lists for the state’s employee-related daycare program and that more than 4,200 families are unable to find a provider.
Senator Reynolds, a pediatrician, emphasized the consequences for children and families, saying lack of access “limits opportunities and it limits futures, both for parents and their children.” Reynolds raised concerns about potential federal cuts to programs families rely on, including Medicaid, SNAP and Head Start, and referenced a recent county-level risk to 261 Head Start slots that was averted through federal involvement.
Both senators urged legislative attention to child care as a workforce and equity priority; no formal motion or vote on the floor followed the remarks. Senators said they had supported earlier measures, including an extension in 2021 of the employee-related daycare program, and urged continued action.
