Capri Jackson News Today

ASTORIA, Ore. — A shortage of child care in the U.S. has become so acute that it’s reaching far into rural communities, including one northwestern Oregon county where future embryos

A shortage of child care in the U.S. has become so acute its reaching far into rural communities.

A shortage of child care in the U.S. has become so acute that its reaching far into rural communities, including one northwestern Oregon county where future embryos are in line for a spot at Amy Atkinsons nursery and preschool.

From Oregon to New York, demand for child care far exceeds supply. Families are growing increasingly desperate as providers deal with staffing shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic as well as historically low pay worsened by inflation.

Oregon is among 11 states where at least 60% of residents live in a child care desert, according to data from Center for American Progress.