The report, Oregon’s Care Economy: The Case for Public Care Investment, outlines problems with the current caregiving system, such as rising costs and low wages, and provides evidence of the high economic returns to public care investments.

Highlights from the report:

• Accessing care for children, seniors and people with disabilities places enormous financial stress on many families in Oregon. For example, an average single-parent household in Oregon would need to spend 51 percent of its income to pay for infant care.
• Demand for care in Oregon is large and growing. 70,000 people work in caregiving jobs in Oregon. However, the average care worker earns just $20,000 per year.
• Investments in care can create good jobs that will boost Oregon’s economy. Caregiving jobs are among the fastest growing profession in Oregon. These jobs cannot be outsourced or automated. On the other end of the care economy, access to care allows parents and family members to stay in their own jobs rather than leave the workforce to care for their loved ones.
• There is a wealth of research showing that care investments can promote equity, generate stronger economic growth, and strengthen families and communities. For example, the return on a public investment in 3 hours a day of universal pre-K care for 4 year olds is estimated to be nearly 7 percent annually.

The post Check out Oregon CareWorks! appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

Kate has been working with us for the past few years as our lobbyist, helping us to pass critical policies like paid sick days, increasing the minimum wage, pay transparency, retirement security and so much more.

Some other things to know about Kate:

Kate has been working in  Oregon policy spaces for over 15 years — in the legislature, for the Bureau of Labor and Industries, and in many other settings.  She has developed a wide range of policy experience, including: legislative work, government agency operations and management, policy research, media relations, advocacy, voter outreach, campaign management and fundraising.  She is excited to (officially) join the Family Forward team because of her passion to support women and working families, which she’s done both in her personal and professional life.

If you have any questions for Kate, you can reach her at kate@familyforward.org. We are so happy that she’s joined our family and is able to contribute such valuable expertise to help win policies that support all Oregon families.

The post Welcome Kate, Our New Policy Director! appeared first on Family Forward Oregon.

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