Oregon Lacks Child Care to Meet Family Needs

A statewide household survey of over 3,000 families in Oregon with young children found that Oregon lacks sufficient, affordable child care that meets the needs of all its families. Submitted to the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care and the Early Learning Council, the survey also found that recent challenges to finding child care negatively impacted the employment of 41% of Oregon families. Additionally, more than half of Oregonian children are in two or more different child care arrangements, with clear inequities in the accessibility and cultural and linguistic appropriateness of child care.

Almost 10% of the families surveyed said that their child was asked to take a break or leave care in 2022. In particular, the rate at which Black children are asked to leave care has increased fourfold since 2020. Once children leave care, about 25% of them do not return. The rate of children being asked to leave care has steadily increased since 2019. These rates increase faster for families of color and families of children with Individualized Family Service Plans, developmental disabilities, or chronic medical needs. The majority (55%) of children in the latter group require mental and behavioral health services. A full 42% of those children have difficulty accessing these services.

The survey’s results show that these problems existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but continued to persist and in some cases, were exacerbated. Child care providers who left the workforce cited the need for better wages and benefits, more staff, and recognition and inclusion from other staff, managers, and parents as barriers to returning to the workforce.

The information and recommendations presented in the survey report have the potential to strengthen the reach and impact of Oregon’s early learning and support system. Sampling methodology, demographic information about the 3,705 parents who completed the survey, and recommendations for the problems it reveals, can be found in the full report. The survey and report were developed in conjunction with the Early Childhood and Family Support Research and Evaluation Services at Portland State University. The publication itself was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education.