Last month’s global travel outages didn’t stop Children’s Institute from joining other early childhood advocates in the nation’s capital to meet with Congressional delegates, to talk about how to address some of Oregon’s biggest child care challenges. 

In late July, the Alliance for Early Success hosted StateFedConnect in Washington, D.C. This annual convening provides an opportunity for state partners in the Alliance network to build community with other advocates and engage with Congressional representatives about early childhood issues impacting their local communities.  

Children’s Institute’s policy and advocacy staff and CEO, Kali Thorne Ladd, gathered on Capitol Hill to participate in the two-day event, which included insightful funding updates from the First Five Years Fund; a powerful bipartisan child care proposal from two U.S. senators; and several promising meetings with members of Oregon’s congressional delegation.  

The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) spoke about the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which funds Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) in Oregon. Earlier this year, FFYF released a collection of fact sheets from all 50 states, detailing how the CCDBG helps children and families. Read Oregon’s here. 

They also discussed how updating the federal tax code is an important part of the solution to strengthen child care in the United States. This will be especially important in the coming months, as Oregon will introduce a new tax package beginning in 2025 and advocates want to ensure that early childhood and child care tax incentives are a priority in this conversation.

The ‘Boldest’ Bipartisan Proposal to Make Child Care More Affordable 

In what is being hailed as the “boldest bipartisan proposal to make child care more affordable,” U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), introduced the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and the Child Care Workforce Act—two pieces of legislation that would make child care more affordable and accessible by strengthening existing tax credits to lower child care costs, and increasing the supply of child care providers.

This is an exciting proposal that comes at a critical time for children, families, and child care workers who are deeply impacted by the worsening child care crisis.  

Oregon’s Champions in Congress 

Children’s Institute staff had the opportunity to meet with five members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation, including Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Representative Andrea Salinas and Congressman Earl Blumenauer; and Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden. 

In these meetings, we talked about the Child and Adult Care Food Program bill and plans to introduce legislation in Oregon that would increase food reimbursement for child care providers. We also discussed early childhood behavioral health, and the importance of maternal and child health during pregnancy and postpartum; citing the federal Momnibus Act and Oregon’s Momnibus bill, legislation that will be introduced in the 2025 legislative session. 

Congresswoman Bonamici has been the lead champion in Congress for improving the Child and Adult Care Food Program. We appreciate her continued leadership on this issue, and hope that Oregon legislation can bolster this bipartisan effort in Congress.

We are also deeply appreciative of Senator Wyden’s innovative approach to revenue, tax credits, and his ideas about how, as a nation, we can do more collectively to support children and families. Wyden’s ardent support of the CHIPs Act, which includes a clear plan for child care, is a testament to his forward-thinking leadership.

In continued conversations around supporting early childhood behavioral health, Representative Salinas shared her passion for and commitment to working on these issues, and is looking at what she can do to support the behavioral health workforce. 

Photo (from left): Dana Hepper, director of Policy and advocacy; Elena Barreto, senior early childhood policy advisor; Representative Andrea Salinas; and Kali Thorne Ladd, CEO, Children’s Institute pose in Rep. Salinas’ office in Washington D.C., on July 23, 2024.

We were thankful for the time that we spent with Congressional leaders and excited to hear vocal support for these priorities.

“In Oregon, we’re fortunate to have congressional leaders who are committed to children and families,” said Thorne Ladd (pictured above). “These are leaders who are advancing equity and opportunity for all children and are dedicated to transformational change.” 

We made the most of our trip to Washington, D.C., engaging with a passionate network of early childhood advocates and exploring hopeful legislative avenues that would benefit infants, young children, and parents. Although our advocacy work is in perpetual motion, we will continue to track federal efforts and we are optimistic about making notable progress to secure a brighter future for children and families in Oregon’s 2025 legislative session.