Education
No child care, no economic recovery. That's the bottom line for Oregon first district Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici when it comes to reopening the economy.
Secretary DeVos and the US Department of Education should be helping students, families, educators, and schools deal with a pandemic of unprecedented proportion; instead, they have just released a new Title IX rule that will reduce protections for sexual assault survivors and create inconsistent standards at schools and college campuses across America. This is unacceptable.
Growing Seeds Learning Community has cared for thousands of young children in Portland since it opened its doors in 2004. Earlier this year, Growing Seeds North, the child care center's largest outpost, was welcoming 160 students a day. That changed on March 23 when Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a statewide stay home order in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
A little over a month ago, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown gave child care centers a choice: continue to operate with a focus on the children of "essential workers," or shut your doors. Nearly half closed.
Even with the downsizing, CEO Jarod Hobbs, Dory's husband, estimates Atlas can only hold on until mid-June, and that's if current enrollment holds steady. He's hoping that financial relief will arrive in the form of a federal loan or a $50 billion stimulus child care relief package backed by NAEYC and some members of Congress, including Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Sens.