Oregon’s Early Child Care Crisis Impacts All but Two of the State’s 36 Counties

When Courtney Eggleston gave birth to her son, she knew she would have to rely on friends and family to help care for him when she went back to work. That’s because Hines, the Eastern Oregon town in Harney County where Eggleston lives, has few licensed child care providers.

In fact, there is no licensed provider for infants and toddlers in her county, which is roughly the size of Massachusetts.

Eggleston’s experience is representative of the plight faced by many Oregon parents of infants and toddlers. Thirty-four Oregon counties are still child care deserts for that age group. (A child care desert is defined as a community with more than three children in need for every regulated child care slot.)

In the past few years, Oregon has pumped millions of dollars into child care programs.

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