![]() “We have help wanted signs up everywhere,” Cisneros said. Families at the federal poverty level or below are hit harder, with care consuming 52% of the median household income. Data from United Way of Lane County found that the average monthly cost of full-time child care is $886 per child, 21% of the median household income for a family with a child under 6. Within Lane County in 2020, the medium monthly cost of care for toddlers was $750 a month for small home-based facilities, $1,020 for large home-based centers and $1,172 for non‐residential facilities that are certified by the Office of Child Care, according to the report from OSU. “We just kept looking for work and then I would do the math and we couldn't afford it,” Cisneros said. ![]() When her children were younger, her husband had to stay home to care for their youngest because they couldn’t find a spot they could afford. "It’s like preparing for the Olympics,” said Jen Cisneros, a Eugene mother of two and social worker, describing the difficulties of getting on waitlists for child care. In Lane County, 14% of families have access to a slot for their 0–2-year-old and 35% of families have access to a pre-K slot for their children age 3-5. Statewide, there are seven infants and toddlers for every funded, regulated infant and toddler child care slot and three preschool-age children for every single child care slot in the state, according to a 2021 report from Oregon State University. Earlier this month, Oregon governor-elect Tina Kotek shared plans to work with the private sector on early learning and child care, saying the problem is holding back both families and businesses. The issue of child care is top of mind for many across the state. Finding a spot 'like preparing for the Olympics' Unable to find care she can afford and trust, Lopez is stuck. If both parents are working, it’s $30.78 an hour for each. Minimum wage in Lane County is $13.50 an hour, but a living wage in the area for a single-income family of five is $45.88 an hour, according to MIT’s Living Wage calculator. “At that point, you're working just to pay your childcare provider and nothing else.” “Working for anything less than $20 an hour, that's not feasible,” Lopez said. With just one income for the family of five, it’s hard to make ends meet. Her husband is a miner and a heavy equipment operator, so he makes enough that they don’t qualify for state assistance. Lopez has wanted and needed to get back to work for about two years, she said. The work was fulfilling but often intense, so occasionally she’d take a break from it and work in fast food. She’s worked in the caregiving industry, including memory and hospice care. I miss being out of the house, having my own thing to do and being able to help support my family. "As a stay-at-home mom, I find myself a lot of the time just dying for an adult interaction of some kind,” Krista Lopez said. “Behind housing, childcare is the second most expensive family budget item,” Dunnells said. During the second year of the pandemic, 6,700 local women left the workforce, according to United Way of Lane County. The cost of living in our community and the salaries just don't measure up,” Noreen Dunnells, CEO of United Way of Lane County, said. “The challenge here is that people don't make enough money. The problem is both access and affordability. Local organizations are looking at ways to address the problem that impacts both the workforce and the community's wellness. A lack of good child care impacts the quality of a community's workforce, graduation rates, incarceration rates, the cost of K-12 schools and the amount of disposable income available in a community to support other businesses. And that crisis doesn't just affect those families. ![]() But the pandemic, stagnant pay and rising prices have pushed the problem to a crisis point for many families. Lane County has long been considered a child care desert, with the number of children needing care outpacing the number of available spots. Amid the endless list of challenges, finding affordable, quality child care is rising to the top. From diapers to discipline to sleep deprivation, parenthood is hard.
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