U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden stood outside of the Oak Street Child Development Center building in downtown Eugene on June 30, surrounded by children’s toys and small plastic tables. Kids laughed and played in the background as he prepared to speak on the latest Senate legislation that works to ensure that all families have access to high-quality, affordable child care.
The Building Child Care for a Better Future Act was first introduced in late May, and is backed by Wyden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Since then, the bill has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. It aims to allocate “mandatory funding to build child care availability over the long term and treat child care like the critical infrastructure that it is for families.”