Currently, the average cost of child care in Oregon is 1.6 times higher than the cost of tuition at one of our public universities. This is highly burdensome and unsustainable for many families.
High costs keep some parents (usually mothers) from remaining meaningfully attached to the workfor... more
Currently, the average cost of child care in Oregon is 1.6 times higher than the cost of tuition at one of our public universities. This is highly burdensome and unsustainable for many families.
High costs keep some parents (usually mothers) from remaining meaningfully attached to the workforce because they do not make enough income to cover their high costs. Many others are forced to enroll their kids in low-quality (often unregulated) child care to keep their costs within their means. Neither of these solutions is acceptable for Oregon.
We need to create an affordable, accessible, and high-quality child care system within our state that reaches *all* our kids. We need to recognize that successful intervention in early childhood has long-term economic and educational benefits for our families and our broader community.
Jane Graham-Roberts
I agree. Furthermore, quality childcare needs to extend through 6th grade. It is almost impossible to find good childcare for older children. My kids were latchkey kids long before I would have liked because there was good childcare available thata targeted their age group. Perhaps we could join with the parks dept. to offer appropriate activities for older kids. (swimming lessons, music lessons, sports, etc.)
Alissa
I agree, but I'd extend this to building an early childhood care and education system that includes prenatal care and education, parenting, support and training for kith and kin care, in addition to enhanced child care and Head Start. We need to invest in the car and education of our youth from in utero through higher ed.
Jillian
Too many of the moms I know struggle with child care: with cost, quality, negotiating distance, wait lists, you name it. It's frustrating because so many moms cannot stay in the workforce because it's not cost-effective for their families, or they're frustrated with the quality of care. And the moms who have no choice but to earn a paycheck must continually deal with the realities of low quality care or skyrocketing prices. Without quality, affordable childcare, parents (and women in particular) face... more
Too many of the moms I know struggle with child care: with cost, quality, negotiating distance, wait lists, you name it. It's frustrating because so many moms cannot stay in the workforce because it's not cost-effective for their families, or they're frustrated with the quality of care. And the moms who have no choice but to earn a paycheck must continually deal with the realities of low quality care or skyrocketing prices. Without quality, affordable childcare, parents (and women in particular) face unfair disadvantages, so often needing to choose between employment and the best interest of their child. This is a loss for the state of Oregon, because hard-working parents from so many professions - teachers, nurses, lawyers - are often forced put their careers on indefinite hold while they raise their children, while working parents face numerous daily frustrations that distract them from work and from the care of their own family.