Infant care in Oregon averages more than $19K a year
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Oregon has some of the highest day care center prices in the country, with the average infant tuition topping $19,000 per year, according to a new report.
Why it matters: Rising child care costs put a huge financial strain on families, forcing some parents — typically women — to either ratchet back their working hours or leave the labor force entirely, Axios' Emily Peck writes.
By the numbers: It costs an average of $19,500 per year for center-based infant care in Oregon, per data from the advocacy group Child Care Aware.
- That's up 78% over 2020 prices, when costs for infant care at a center averaged $10,983.
- Yearly costs for toddlers in center-based care average more than $17,300.
Stunning stat: For a married Oregon couple making a median income of roughly $125,500, center-based childcare for an infant accounts for 16% of their yearly income.
- That's the fourth highest in the nation, behind only Hawaii, California and Maryland.
Zoom in: Oregon lawmakers are considering more than a dozen bills aimed at reducing child care costs this session, though it's unclear how many will pass before lawmakers adjourn on June 29.
- One proposal would create a new referral system and grant program to connect parents with providers to create a tailored care plan for their specific needs. It's currently in the House Ways and Means Committee.
- Another bill would expedite the permitting processes for developers looking to build child care facilities and is also in the House Ways and Means Committee.
- HB 3560 ensures those facilities would be allowed in both single- and multi-family neighborhoods. It was signed into law by Gov. Tina Kotek last week.
What they're saying: "We know child care is really fundamental to healthy development and essential to making our K-12 system work," Rep. Pam Marsh, who has been pushing for several of the bills to pass, told Axios.