CHILD CARE UPDATE STUDY, 2022

Author: Patti Littlehales

The League of Women Voters of Oregon propels forward fresh ideas and perspectives to strengthen communities through education, and ultimately through advocacy. In 2021, LWVOR Convention delegates approved a Child Care Restudy update. Work is well underway for the Child Care update.

LWV Lincoln County members are interviewing and updating Child Care programs in Lincoln County, north to south. The impact of the pandemic has caused programs to cease, especially crucial In-Home Child Care operations. In-home care operators, who can provide care for up to 10 children, are critical in Lincoln County.

Child Care is economic development. The lack of quality Child Care impacts Lincoln County’s entire economy. Parents cover the entire employment spectrum; teachers, first responders, seafood processors and contractors.

Lincoln County efforts to update Child Care providers is ongoing. The Oregon Coast Community College has created a four-part workshop to help would-be operators learn the regulations and sup port systems available in the county. Under the direction of Oscar Juarez, Early Childhood Education program at OCCC, students prepare for the unique challenges parents and families in our community face, applying academic concepts to the real-world. County and State efforts are ongoing to correct the insufficiency created by regulations and the pandemic.

It is hopeful that the lessons of the pandemic and the Child Care survey will buoy the coastal economy for a better future.