Kiante from Gresham

My name is Kiante and I live in Gresham. I am a parent to a five year special needs child and also a foster parent living in Gresham, Oregon.

My five-year old is a non-verbal, special needs child. I have had multiple child care centers turn us down during the pandemic because they didn't have enough staff or resources to care for his special needs. As a Black mother, it is also important to me to have a Black provider for my child.  I did four test runs with providers who wanted to care for my child but did not have enough staff. I finally found a Black provider with a history of caring for disabled children.  I pay this provider $1300 a month for my child, and yet I know the provider struggles to pay her team a living wage due to a lack of government resources.

My son deserves high-quality, affordable, and culturally relevant childcare. Parents need the peace of mind that their providers have enough funding and resources to be safe, and providers need a clear plan and to be compensated appropriately.

Also, it saddens me to share that as a foster parent, I can no longer open my home to younger children due to the lack of government-funded childcare infrastructure to support daycare for foster children. 

If we want to continue flourishing and growing as a state, we need to invest in essential infrastructure that allows Oregonians to thrive. It's time for the Legislature to recognize that a government-funded childcare infrastructure would benefit not just working parents, but also the childcare providers who struggle to stay financially afloat while providing essential services that are the backbone of our economy.