Watch the latest episode of OCPP’s “Policy for the People” with special guests Marchel Kaleikini, our Policy Director, and Ivy Major-McDowall, our Care Advocacy Manager. In this installment, they talk with host, Juan Carlos Ordóñez, about the state of child care in Oregon and what’s at stake this legislative session.

“There is a crisis brewing in Oregon when it comes to child care. Thousands of families in Oregon are at risk of losing their child care, unless the Oregon legislature steps up and puts more resources into Employment Related Day Care (ERDC). This program of subsidized childcare is on track to run out of money in January 2027, according to Marchel Kaleikini and Ivy Major-McDowall, who are both with the organization For All Families Oregon. If ERDC were to run out of money, it would have catastrophic consequences for families and care providers, and wider repercussions to Oregon’s economy.

We spoke with Marchel and Ivy about the funding crisis facing Employment Related Day Care, and how the state can ensure that families don’t lose access to this vital program.”