PORTLAND, Ore. — Child care providers across Oregon walked out during national "Day without Child Care." The event included nearly 20 providers in seven cities in the state, all gathered to raise awareness about what they're calling a child care crisis.
Mersades Thompson loves being a mom and just had a baby eight weeks ago. She's worried about the state of child care.
"Right now, we're in a child care desert here in Oregon," said Thompson. "As a mother of three, I definitely feel that."
Mersades used to be a nanny for 10 years. Now, she owns her own business called the Reliable Nanny Connection. But today, her business was closed.
"I got out of the industry as a mom to be able to provide care for other families. So today, we're actually not taking any clients — we're in support of a day without child care," said Thompson.
The national action day, "Day without Child Care" event in East Portland helps show support for child care providers and seeks to raise awareness about the child care crisis.
The child care crisis centers around the need for more equitable pay for providers, according to the providers at Monday's event.
"There are so many Black and brown women in our community and caregivers in general, who've been providing the support for our economy for generations — who are continuing to live in poverty," said Candice Vickers executive director of Family Forward.
A recent KGW survey of 40 care centers in the Portland Metro area found, tuition costs for children under five ranged from nearly $900 for part-time care to about $1,600 a month for full-time care.
Those costs prevent many from seeking child care which would also help staff — and pay for more providers.
"We want a dedicated revenue stream for child care in Oregon," said Vickers. "We want a universal system for child care, so that every child in Oregon has access to safe child care."
Providers also want more support to help the children they care for every day.
"More children in safer child care facilities, more equipment and more activities for them to be involved in," said event participant Tai Wallace.
This was the third annual "Day without Child Care" event, and organizers plan to hold more events similar in the future.