State-Of-Black-Oregon-2015

ESSAY 12UNIVERSAL CHILDCAREOPENS DOORSCheryl Miller,Executive Director, Oregon Home Care CommissionPoverty has traditionally been calculatedby comparing a family’s median incomewith expenditure on essential costs ofliving, such as housing. 1 Now, with therising cost of debt, housing costs, cuts to publicassistance, and ballooning childcare expenses,Black families face more roadblocks to wealthcreation and pathways out of poverty. Offeringa childcare subsidy would spur wealth creationand diversified employment opportunities to theBlack community, especially Black women.As public assistance declines, childcare, ifadequately funded, would be cost neutral.A German study, released in June 2012 byDavid Domeij—titled Should Day Care beSubsidized?—showed that governmentsubsidizedchildcare increases the laborrate among young women. 2 Their added taxcontributions to the economy more than coverthe cost of the subsidies. Childcare subsidiescan also reduce the number of women andfamilies needing public assistance. Oregon’sown experience in helping families return tothe workforce through Temporary Assistancefor Needy Families (TANF) confirmed thatEmployment Related Day Care (ERDC) helpedpeople stay employed and off state and federalbenefits and build wealth, and provided a liftout of poverty. This type of program can makea significant difference in the lives of women,children and families.Childcare subsidies can also offer Black womengood business opportunities—with the addedbenefit of making childcare more culturallyresponsive to the needs of Black children. Theskills developed as a childcare provider canlead some Black women to consider working inthe healthcare field as a homecare or personalsupport worker, earning a living wage with goodbenefits.It is clear that child care subsidies are not onlybeneficial to families in need of affordablechildcare, but to a potential growth industryof childcare workers, in equal measure. Smallbusiness entrepreneurs may also provide adultor child foster home services for children,seniors and people with disabilities. Expertise inchildcare may also lead to work as a communityhealth worker or personal health navigator.Training community members for such jobsensures linguistically and culturally appropriateservices to the community while offering Blackwomen an opportunity to advance their careers.This is only half of the solution. Providingopportunities to overcome poverty will requiremore than just affordable childcare, but helpingmothers get back into the workforce byproviding affordable, quality childcare optionswill grant women the ability to pursue multiplepathways out of poverty.116