Help Keep Families Working, Save Oregon Jobs

Save Employment Related Day Care (ERDC)

Quality, affordable childcare is vital to keeping parents in the workforce. Unfortunately, too many Oregon families struggle to afford childcare, which averages $20,000/ yr for two children. The Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) assistance program helps working families whose income is less than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level ($40,800 annually for a family of four) afford day care.

But ERDC could disappear if the Legislature doesn’t act soon! Effective Jan 2011, the Governor’s budget cut eliminates ERDC coverage for 4,658 working families (nearly 10,000 children) who rely on the program. The program will only be available for families recently entering the workforce after receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a state welfare program.

Please act now to save ERDC. Write or call state budget leaders, urging them to fully fund ERDC.

Representative Hunt: 503-986-1440

Senator Courtney: 503-986-1600
Write an email instead
Affordable, quality childcare is essential to the well being of children, the economic stability of families, and the productivity of businesses large and small. Childcare helps children succeed in school and allows parents to work. Ask your legislators to save ERDC for...

Working Families
Eliminating ERDC will make it difficult for parents to afford day care & maintain employment. Many will be forced to turn to unemployment insurance or TANF if they cannot afford to work.
 
Children
Nearly 10,000 Oregon children will be left without care. Many parents will be forced to either leave children home alone or quit their jobs to stay home with their kids.
 
Oregon’s Economy
When parents, who represent a large portion of Oregon’s workforce, have to quit their jobs because they cannot find stable care for their children, productivity of businesses and local economies will also suffer. This cut could result in adding thousands of parents and child care providers to the unemployment rolls.