Child Care Advocates Issue Joint Statement on Education Budget Cuts for Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC)
On June 2, 2025, the Joint Ways & Means Subcommittee on Education passed $45 million in budget cuts for the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) in Senate Bill 5514. On Friday, June 6, the bill was passed and sent to the Senate for a vote.
As a coalition, Child Care for Oregon (CCFO) strongly opposes these cuts. They are not just bad policy—they are a moral failure that puts Oregon’s families and early educators in greater crisis.
DELC funds critical child care and early learning programs upon which thousands of families have come to rely. For years, our elected lawmakers promised parents, caregivers and providers they were taking the child care crisis seriously. Their actions speak louder than words, however.
Across the nation and here in Oregon, there is an all-too-familiar pattern of the wealthy elite undermining and destabilizing the systems that support working families and set children up for success. Nowhere is this more evident than in child care.
At a time when Oregon faces a historic child care shortage and a growing ERDC waitlist, these cuts further destabilize a system already on the brink of collapse. Specifically, this budget:
Slashes $45 million from DELC—a 3% cut below the Current Service Level, despite an already projected $73 million gap.
Provides zero new investments in the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program, which has a waitlist of over 11,300 families, with another 4,200 families unable to use their subsidy because they can’t find a provider.
Reduces access to life-changing programs:
640 fewer children in Preschool Promise.
970 fewer families in culturally specific early learning programs.
176 fewer families receiving home visiting support.
Less support for parenting education and early educator professional development.
Meanwhile, child care providers—many of whom earn far less than K–12 educators—are being asked to do more with less, once again. This budget sends a clear message: Oregon’s leaders are willing to cut the rope rather than throw a life raft to the families and providers trying to stay afloat.
We recognize that Oregon is facing serious fiscal constraints. But these are choices, not inevitabilities. The legislature could reduce the Ending Fund Balance or SAIF reserves; they could halt Rainy Day Fund deposits. Instead, children and families are being cut loose.
Let’s be clear: maintaining or cutting service levels during a growing crisis is not leadership. It is a failure. Our coalition has warned for years that without bold, sustained investment, we will fall even further behind. The consequences are immediate and long-term:
Parents are pushed out of the workforce.
Children are missing critical learning opportunities.
Providers are closing their doors.
The legislature has the power to change course. Restore the $45 million cut to DELC, fully fund ERDC, and take meaningful steps to meet the moment. Families across Oregon are watching, and they need more than words. They need action.
JOIN US FOR A DAY OF ACTION IN SALEM
The bill is headed to the Senate for a vote, possibly to take place on Tuesday, June 10. In response, the Child Care for Oregon (CCFO) coalition will host partners and advocates in Wilson Park in the morning leading up to the potential vote.
WHAT: Senate Bill 5514 Day of Action
WHO: Child Care for Oregon (CCFO) coalition members; parents, caregivers and care providers; care advocates
WHEN: Tuesday, June 10, 2025, 8:30AM-9:15AM
8:30AM - Welcome
8:35AM - Candice Vickers (she/her), Executive Director at Family Forward
8:40AM - Tony Defalco (he/him), Executive Director at Latino Network
8:45AM - Kali Thorne Ladd (she/her), Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Institute
8:50AM - Preschool Promise Parent
9:00AM - Senator Lisa Reynolds (she/her)
9:05AM - Questions
WHERE: Wilson Park at the corner of Cottage Street NE & Court Street, Salem, OR 97301
