Jaxson Bidema tosses a ball to Kylie O’Dell while attending the Kroc Center’s daycare for the children of essential workers on Wednesday, April 22. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Oregon families receiving state subsidies to pay for child care got temporary help during the pandemic as the state waived monthly co-pays.
Now, co-pays are resuming, but families will pay less than they did before the pandemic, the state Department of Human Services announced Thursday.
The change affects about 1,100 families in Marion and Polk counties who get help through the Employment Related Day Care program, which is intended to help working parents cover the cost of child care. Statewide, about 8,200 families are affected, including 672 in Salem.
Most participating families are single parents with two children, said Jake Sunderland, a spokesperson for the department. He said the department was able to offer families child care subsidies without a co-pay through Sept. 30 thanks to a change in federal rules.
Starting in October, the average family will have a $16 monthly copay, and no family in the program will pay more than $130 per month for child care. A family of three earning less than $21,960 per year would pay nothing.
Prior to the pandemic, the lowest possible child care copay was $27, and the average family paid $250, the department said.
“For many families the cost of child care can be a barrier to entering and staying connected to the workforce,” said Dan Haun, director of the human services department’s self-sufficiency programs, in a prepared statement. “This copay decrease will support working families across Oregon as they continue to deal with the many challenges facing families in today’s world.”
Families can see the new co-pay amounts on the department website and learn more about the program here.
-Rachel Alexander
