Updates to Employment Related Day Care
January 12, 2023
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and Early Learning Division (ELD) of the Department of Education are excited to announce expanded eligibility for affordable child care through the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. The expansion took effect on Jan. 1 and is among the provisions of House Bill 3073 of the 2021 Legislative Session, which also creates the new Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).
The primary changes to the program mean that students—in high school, a GED program, or college—no longer need to work to qualify for the child care assistance. Plus, all students will receive additional child care hours each week for study time. Additionally, many families will qualify for more child care hours due to a change in the way part-time and full-time coverage is calculated.
Other provisions in the expansion include:
• All ERDC families are now eligible for sleep hours when a caretaker works a night shift.
• Caretakers on medical leave for their own condition or their child’s can receive ERDC benefits.
• ERDC participants can continue to use their child care benefits when on leave to care for someone outside of their household.
Read more in a news release: https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/DHSNEWS/NewsReleases/2023-01-05-erdc-expansion-en.pdf
ERDC is a subsidy program. This means families may pay part of the child care cost, called a copay. ERDC works with partners to help families find quality child care.
- Eligibility and how to apply
- Setting up child care after you are approved
- Help finding a child care provider
- Log into ONE - View messages, report changes, reapply
