Victoria Mendoza opened up a child care business in Salem 16 years ago — a decision inspired by her own need to find child care for her sons while maintaining a job.

With child care providers located too far from where she lived, the former farmworker and immigrant from Mexico obtained a license so she could care for her own children and others. Since then, she’s successfully managed her small business and watched hundreds of children in Salem.

“My plan was to stop once my kids were grown, but I love kids. My house feels empty without children,” she told the Oregon Capital Chronicle.

But Mendoza, alongside many other Oregon child care providers, is bracing for the possibility of shutting down her business. With federal programs like Head Start facing potential cuts, child care providers like herself and low-income families are increasingly dependent on state support — particularly the Employment Related Day Care program.

Child care advocates push for child care legislation package

The state of Oregon subsidizes child care costs through the Employment Related Day Care program, which is open to low-income households.

As of May, 16,300 Oregon families are enrolled, but another 11,300 remain on a waitlist, according to data from the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care. Another 4,200 families have been approved for financial support, but cannot find an eligible child care provider.

This is largely because there are not enough child care providers in Oregon. A 2023 report from the state’s Early Learning Division program found that nearly all of Oregon’s counties are child care deserts, with one slot for every three children who need care. Without access to child care, parents like Mendoza are faced with limited options to give up their jobs or find other ways to manage child care.

Mendoza, alongside advocates with Family Forward Oregon, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for child care support, called on the Oregon Legislature on Monday in front of the state capitol to pass four bills to support child care providers and low-income families.

These bills include:

• Senate Bill 5514: $225 million to the Employee Related Day Care program,
• House Bill 2452: $9 million to strengthen Oregon’s child care referral system,
• House Bill 3008: $15.4 million for child care workers to stay in and enter the profession
• House Bill 2593: Creates a workgroup to develop recommendations to improve Oregon’s day care program and eventually end the waitlist for the program.

Sen. Courtney Neron Misslin, D-Wilsonville, spoke in favor of the legislation. The educator and mother said she understands the struggles her constituents face trying to find child care.

“The Trump administration is proposing devastating cuts to Head Start, SNAP and Medicaid funding,” she said. “We must be ready. Oregon must act now to protect child care investments and ensure a stronger economy and a more resilient economy. Our state’s role in improving access to high quality and affordable care is more important than ever.”

Candice Vickers, executive director of Family Forward Oregon, said 20% of Oregon’s child care workforce is run by immigrant women, and up to half of Oregon’s child care workers are on Medicaid.

“We need that $225 million,” she told the Capital Chronicle. “We know that it’s a lot, and people see it as a competing interest, but — again you can see like Medicaid and the immigrant workforce —  all of these issues are interconnected.”

For Mendoza, state investment won’t just save her business, but it will allow her to keep supporting local families in her community.

“When we support child care providers, we are also supporting families,” Mendoza said.