Finding child care in the U.S. is a major challenge for many parents. However, the country may find a model for success in Portland, Oregon.
Leslee Barnes oversees the program in Multnomah County. Her county was facing a problem as COVID-19 spread rapidly across the country: Teachers were leaving and facilities were closing.“We were in the midst of the pandemic when this came about,” Barnes said. “People recognized and heard those stories and said, 'Yes, this is something that we needed to do.'”
“At some point they say, ‘I'm not making what I would make if I would just go around the corner to the local kindergarten.’ And so, we built in that pay structure that people would retain and stay in preschool that wanted to,” Barnes adds. This plan, which was approved by voters, is funded by an additional income tax on the county’s highest earners.
Lol. “Free”