On Tuesday, March 15, Governor Kate Brown toured the Bloom Children’s Center and spoke about the bill signing for House Bill 4005 – a historic, bipartisan $100 million childcare investment package.
The visit was a great opportunity for Governor Kate Brown speak on the importance of the investment package on childcare in Oregon. Governor Kate Brown recognizes the significance of childcare needs in Oregon and she wants to help families achieve these needs.
During the tour, Governor Kate Brown was joined by Bloom Center Stephanie Krause. Stephanie serves Baby Promise, ODHS/ERDC and family pay slots. She expanded her program during the pandemic to serve additional families, especially those with infants and toddlers. Many child care facilities had to expand and change what their programs looked like to meet parents needs during the pandemic. Stephanies program is a very popular high-quality option in Bend.
House Bill 4005 will provide $21 million for childcare workforce recruitment and retention, a $22 million grant to fund organizations working with current and new providers to expand capacity to serve more children, and $17.3 million to community-based organizations to launch new provider efforts and expand capacity! This is great news for children, families, and childcare workers in Oregon.
The bill will also provide $27 million to increase childcare subsidy rates to 2020 market rates.
Governor Kate Brown chose to go to Bend to sign the bill because she knows the Bend community understands the importance of child care. The legislation makes significant investments in Central Oregon to continue to grow the capacity, expand the workforce and maintain the providers that already exist in the community. Governor Brown said she was very pleased that Stephanie at the Bloom Children’s Center was able to host her and her team for the bill signing.
