|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Child care funding avoids cuts |
|---|
| Legislature delays cuts this year, but next year is still in question |
|---|
By Jason Chaney
During the recent Oregon legislative session, a proposal to cut state-subsidized daycare posed a potential problem for families throughout Oregon.
Under the proposal, Employment Related Daycare (ERDC), a childcare funding program through the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), would have lost out on $41 million in funding over the next two years. In order to weather that type of cut, the program would have to reduce the minimum income requirement, rendering many families who currently use the program ineligible.
Fortunately for low-income families in Crook County and the rest of Oregon, the proposal didn't hold up. ERDC funding will not be cut this year. However, the program is not exactly safe either.
"The legislature delayed that action until the second year of the biennium," said DHS Office of Self-Sufficiency administrator Vic Todd. "They put $15.5 million back in to sustain it this year."
While this means the program will remain fully intact for another year, where it goes from there is less certain.
"It's good news for families in Central Oregon," said Prineville DHS Self-Sufficiency operations manager Bruce Barnes. However, he went on to say that the program's future "is still up in the air."
For now, Todd is assuming that cuts are forthcoming after this year.
"At this point, it will happen," he said regarding cuts next fiscal year. However, he remained optimistic, adding that "a lot of things can happen in a year."
What is certain is the impact a cut to ERDC would have on the families that count on the program.
According to NeighborImpact Childcare Resources Manager Patty Wilson, statewide statistics show that had the $41 million reduction made, about 10,000 families would have lost the service.
In Prineville, Barnes said last month there were 43 current ERDC cases.
"If they raised the bar for the level of income, a lot of people would be left out," he said.
For Wilson, a few problems arise if families are suddenly left without childcare assistance.
"The biggest problem you're facing with the reduction is the safety of children," she explained. "Parents are forced to decide between paying for daycare themselves or leaving their children at home."
She went on to add that both the families of the children and the families of the daycare providers suffer financially.
At a time when unemployment rates in Crook County are exceeding 20 percent, a reduction in ERDC services could leave some people with a difficult decision.
"People really need employment and it's hard to do that without daycare," Wilson said. "You can't have one without the other."
While ERDC escaped funding cuts for the upcoming year, it has not eased anxiety about the future of the program.
"There's a high level of concern," Wilson said regarding ERDC's future. "I think there's hope we can continue to fund it, but at the same time, since there isn't a firm plan, there's cause for concern. We are preparing for the worst." |
| Go to top. |
|
|
|
