Staffing shortages due to — or exacerbated — by the COVID-19 pandemic is an issue being recognized nationwide, and the Columbia River Gorge is no exception. Despite relaxed COVID safety protocols and a slow return to pre-pandemic unemployment numbers, local employers are still having difficulties regaining a pre-COVID workforce. As previously reported in part 1 of the “Gorge Now Hiring” series, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) interviewed regional stakeholders such as local community and business leaders in order to assess key economic needs and concerns that were brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, publishing an economic needs assessment in April 2021. One of the key concerns identified in that study was affordable and accessible childcare.
Even before the pandemic, several areas in both Oregon and Washington were considered “childcare deserts,” which is defined in the MCEDD assessment as “an area where there is only one childcare slot available for every three children who seek care.” A 2019 Regional Community Health Assessment published by Columbia Gorge Health Council, in partnership with PacificSource Community Solutions, found that 81% of children ages 0 -24 months in Columbia River Gorge counties had no regulated childcare opportunities available to them.
“Basically, it means there’s not enough slots for the number of children in our region” said Nancey Patten, director of Child Care Partners, a local childcare resource based out of Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) that provides assistance to both parents and local childcare providers, “Not every childcare slot is full, sometimes the issue is those openings don’t fit a parent’s need, and we understand that” Patten said. “We can definitely use additional childcare in our region.”
The issue has only been exacerbated in the pandemic, with parents unable to utilize their regular daycare options due to COVID safety measures or unable to afford it due to loss of income in the height of the pandemic. While safety protocols have since relaxed, allowing for in-person daycare and schooling to resume, it appears many parents in the Columbia River Gorge are still citing childcare as a barrier to returning to work. According to an article published through the State of Oregon Employment Department, “The Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey has been capturing data on the reasons for not working, and it estimates that as of the Sep. 29 to Oct. 11, 2021 survey period, about 88,000 Oregonians were not working and cited the main reason was, ‘I was caring for children not in school or daycare.’”
MCEDD’s Economic needs assessment as well as a Childcare Center Feasibility analysis recently produced by CGCC references a 2020 study produced by the Four River Early Learning Hub, stating that “nearly 60% of parents reported they have and to miss work three or more times in the past 6 months to care for their child/children, and one out of every four families reported missing work more than 10 times.”
“It’s really hard for people to get back to work, if they lost childcare during the pandemic they might not be able to get that slot back, so they can’t get back in the workforce,” said Leslie Naramore, executive director of the Washington Gorge Action Program (WAGAP). “Another big issue is that kids are missing a lot of school due to illnesses that might not even be COVID. But if they’re sick at all, they can’t go to school, they can’t go back until they have a negative COVID test, and so then the parents out of the workforce again.”
A 2020 Early Care and Education profile produced by Oregon State University calculated the median cost of childcare for a toddler in a childcare center at $8,400 in Wasco County, and $10,080 for Hood River County. According to the profiles, the cost would require 35% and 42% of a minimum wage worker’s annual income, respectively.
On the Washington side of the Gorge, Washington STEM, an independent non-profit based out of Seattle, provided a Childcare Committee Needs Assessment, Feasibility Review and Recommendations assessment for Klickitat County, stating that available licensed childcare “only meets the needs of approximately 15% of children under six whose parents are in the workforce and needs care” in Klickitat County, with Goldendale meeting approximately 30% of children under the age of 6. The assessment states that currently, there is no licensed infant/toddler available in or near Goldendale.
According to the assessment, the typical cost of childcare per child in Klickitat County is $9,500, with the average family paying 22% of their income for a single child in daycare, and up to 44% for two children.
“I think affordable childcare is the main issue,” said Lauren Trueb, executive director of Millie’s Place Preschool, a recently opened licensed childcare center located in Hood River. “There’s definitely a gap of affordable childcare.”
While parents have felt the effects of the pandemic on childcare, so have the providers. “I attended a lot of meetings during the pandemic, of really concerned people who were afraid that there was no childcare for emergency workers,” said Patten. “And on the opposite side of that, I’m sitting at my desk, listening to providers who are going, ‘If I don’t get any kids soon, I’m going to have to close.’ So there was a definite disconnect there.”
Some challenges that childcare providers are facing, born directly out of the pandemic, include the cost of keeping up with sanitary regulations and social distancing guidelines. “If you had someone who was maybe interested in providing in home care, they’re probably not as eager to jump on that train now because of all of the social distancing guidelines.” said Naramore. “The guidelines, which of course we need, but they’re just getting more and more … expensive. There are some grants out there that can help people providing childcare but like buying all of the cleaning supplies, because you’re cleaning so much more, providing kids with masks and gloves, I mean, those are all costs that add up.”
“We have to sanitize more, and wash things more, and just be way more diligent (than) before, plus teachers have to wear masks with our little kids. (The little kids) don’t have to, but a lot of them choose to,” said Trueb. “We have to monitor and make sure everyone has the right masks, and that they wash their hands. So it’s just more stress on the staff is probably what it comes down to.”
Other challenges childcare providers are facing go back farther than the pandemic, one being the level of income they receive. “Childcare workers are some of the lowest paid workers doing an incredibly important job,” said Patten. “The system isn’t set up to support them. Families can’t afford to pay more for their care. But providers can’t make a living on what they’re getting now.”
Trueb, who shared that while Millie’s Place employees are paid well, this is not the case for many childcare providers. “Pay is bad for childcare workers, especially in early childhood, because I don’t think people value as much as it should be valued,” said Trueb, “so the pay is just not that great ... it’s so expensive to live in the Gorge that people just can’t afford to do those jobs and pay their rent.”
According to the State of Oregon Employment Department article titled “Oregon’s Childcare Industry,” the current median wage of a childcare provider in Oregon in 2021 is $13.88, and preschool teachers at $15.35 an hour. The Klickitat County childcare committee needs assessment places the average annual income of a Child Care Teacher and Family Child Care owner at $29,872, and a preschool teacher’s income at $37,372, in comparison to county’s median income of $42,417.
Barriers that people interested in entering into the childcare industry are currently facing — especially those interested in running care out of their homes — include the tightening of building code regulations. The amended 2018 Washington State residential building codes state that a family childcare home cannot operate out of a basement more than four feet below grade level unless, among several requirements, the entire building has a residential sprinkler system. This is similar to a recent requirement made in the 2021 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (ORSC) Chapter 1, Section R101.2.1, stating that, as of 2021, any Oregon buildings not previously approved to act as a childcare facility, registered family childcare home, or adult foster homes, must have an automatic sprinkler system installed if specific criteria such as additional exits per-room or reduced travel times to exits are not met. (It is important to note this code does not apply to buildings that have already been approved for childcare or adult foster care.)
“That’s an outrageous expense,” said Patten. “It’s causing complications, because people who are currently doing care are exempt in their own home, but if they move, their new home will have to be retrofitted for all of this, and I honestly don’t know any family homes that have sprinkler systems.”
“Childcare is extremely regulated, and I mean, of course it is because we all want to ensure the safety of our kids,” said Naramore. “But there are some things that are kind of ridiculous … and I don’t think there’s any legislator out there who would take on the responsibility of deregulating because then if something happened it would go back to them, but essentially, that’s what needs to happen, because it’s so over-regulated right now, that is an obstacle.”
With parents, providers, and employers all feeling the effects of the current childcare system, steps are being taken in order to bring more available childcare into the Gorge. The Columbia Gorge Education Service District (ESD) is currently in the process of opening an elementary school-based after school program targeted towards second through fifth grade in The Dalles. According to Scott Whitbeck, ESD director of School Improvement assigned to District 21, the program is funded by a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, with its purpose to focus on students who would most benefit from an extended learning opportunity, as well as extended safe social interaction with their peers in the wake of a school year spent almost primarily online.
Whitbeck shared that the program would go at least until 5 p.m. to accommodate parent work schedules. “It’s also helped by parents who are just maybe returning to work after the long time they’ve been taking care of their children at home with distance learning. (The program would) provide some safe care for the children, so … they can continue to do their work and it wouldn’t be jeopardized by needing to find other childcare after school.”
Starting out, the program will be focused on Chenowith Elementary and is set to begin Jan. 3. It will operate in partial capacity until enough staffing can be obtained to operate Monday through Friday. The ESD’s goal is to open the same program out of Dry Hollow and Colonel Wright elementary schools, but have had few applicants so far and does not currently have the staff to do so.
If you are interested in learning more about the open positions or want to apply, go to www.cgesd.k12.or.us/ and click the Employment Opportunities link, then the Current Opening link, or reach out to Scott Whitbeck, at 541.506.3420 or whitbecks@nwasco.k12.or.us.
On Dec. 8, local and regional childcare leaders came together with local community leaders, employers and providers in a childcare summit, presenting the current state of the local childcare system as it stands, as well as introducing the 2021 Childcare Center feasibility study provided by CGCC, which analyzes the feasibility of opening a childcare center, potentially located at CGCC, that, according to Dan Spaz, Director of Capital Projects and Community Relations at CGCC, could not only provide affordable childcare to community members, but assist in the training of future providers through the CGCC’s early childhood education program as well as business related training to providers entering the industry through Child Care Partners. In the meeting, several employers and organizations pledged their willingness to participate and assist in the goal of “establish(ing) affordable childcare in (the Columbia Gorge) region that can serve as a replicable model for rural Oregon communities.”
Though a specific date had not been decided on during the summit, there will be another meeting in January to go over the next steps in the process of establishing a central or distributed model childcare center. Community employers, organizations, or individuals interested in further information can contact Spatz at CGCC.
For Oregon residents seeking assistance in locating childcare can call 211 for referrals to childcare programs or assistance on finding quality providers in the area. If, after contacting 211, you are still having difficulty, you can reach out to Child Care Partners for additional assistance. For Oregon residents seeking financial assistance for childcare, there are subsidies such as the Employment Related Day Care, which can help working families pay for a portion of the childcare cost. You find more information at www.oregon.gov/dhs/assistance/child-care/Pages/index.aspx.
Oregon childcare providers who require business and or administrative assistance can contact Child Care Partners for help. You can visit their website at www.cgcc.edu/childcare.
Washington residents seeking assistance in locating or paying for childcare can visit Child Care Aware of Washington at www.findchildcarewa.org for more information. Washington Childcare providers who require administrative assistance or getting their facility started can visit www.gorgeearlylearning.com/kccc.html for more information.
Correction: Part one of Columbia Gorge News series “Gorge Now Hiring,” published in the Oct. 27 edition, quoted a study published in 2016 by Center for American Progress titled “Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Centers by ZIP Code in 8 States.” The study was mistakenly identified as a 2018 publication.
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