Standing several feet apart, leaders and members of AFSCME Local 132, a union representing childcare workers, walked to the Capitol in Salem.
鈥淧op-ups and schools? Just not cool!鈥� they chanted.
A couple dozen providers showed up to Wednesday鈥檚 rally in person, with several watching Local 132鈥檚 live broadcast of the rally on Facebook, sending messages of support.
As Gov. Kate Brown ordered most licensed child care facilities closed, she loosened requirements for emergency child care providers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Family child care providers say they have been financially impacted by the governor鈥檚 decisions.
Anita Bates is one of them. As a provider with two facilities in Gresham, Bates said she drove down to Salem to protest the state鈥檚 new rules allowing 鈥減op-up鈥� child cares. She said her licensed facilities have only been half full 鈥� and that she鈥檚 losing business to emergency providers without the experience.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where we鈥檙e going from here,鈥� Bates said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e applied for SBA loans. We applied for the grants. We haven鈥檛 heard anything.鈥�
Bates acknowledged the loss of business due to parents staying home and said she has reimbursed some of her customers. But she also has seven employees of her own, who she says are not yet receiving unemployment.
Brown鈥檚 order in March ordered licensed facilities closed unless approved as an emergency facility. Bates said she applied and was approved for an emergency facility.
Oregon鈥檚 Early Learning Division Office of Child Care said they received over 2,000 emergency child care applications as of April 2. Some 1,700 community-based providers have been approved, providing 9,500 child care slots statewide.
Brown鈥檚 March order also school districts to operate child care for essential workers if asked by the Oregon Department of Education. More than 40 school districts have applied to operate childcare facilities, though that doesn鈥檛 mean they are actively operating facilities.
Independent providers like Bates say this flood of new providers 鈥� some providing free services 鈥� have hurt their business.
鈥淓very day costs us child care providers, costs us spots,鈥� said Local 132 staff representative Annaliese Shaehan during Wednesday鈥檚 rally. 鈥淎nd hurts the whole child care industry.鈥�
The union has asked the state to fund all child care slots to ensure no income is lost and to pay subsidy child care programs for students who are absent because of COVID-19.
Oregon鈥檚 Early Learning Division has shared a of resources for providers. A coalition of organizations and agencies around the state have also an Oregon Child Care Provider Relief Guide.
But Local 132 and providers like Bates say those resources haven鈥檛 proved enough to help support their industry.
鈥淲e鈥檙e lost, and that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e down here,鈥� Bates said. 鈥淲e need answers and we need them now.鈥�
Courtesy of Anita Bates
/Gresham childcare provider Anita Bates holds a sign at a Wednesday rally advocating support for childcare providers.
Copyright 2020