Holidays pinch Central Oregon child care options

High on low-gravity and sugar cookies, dozens of toddlers bounced around an indoor trampoline park in Bend while Ana Carteño tried to keep tabs on her two kids.

Thirteen-month old Theo teetered toward a crowded staircase, in hot pursuit of a park employee wearing a gingerbread man costume. Three-year-old Eddie was traipsing near a pit of foam blocks. For Carteño, the din of screaming children and blaring holiday music was a respite.

“At home it’s just, ‘Mama, Mama, Mama,’ and I usually can’t carry them both because they’ll just push each other away. So, it’s a lot better coming to a place like this where they can explore,” she said.

Her family’s plan for the rest of the month was “just to survive and make it through,” added the nurse from Bend.

Their day care providers are closed for much of the holidays, a common problem parents need to navigate this time of year. Carteño will be juggling 12-hour shifts in a hospital emergency department while the kids are at home. Her husband used his vacation time to cover the gaps. It’s a recurring stress for many working families, said NeighborImpact’s Brittany Seale.

“Especially for those that don’t necessarily have family or friends that are close by that can help them out,” she said.

The nonprofit where Seale works provides a range of social services in Central Oregon, and she specializes in child care resources. She said it’s essential for day care providers to get breaks, too, but “also, not every family has the luxury of taking time off during the holidays.”

Part of Seale’s job is updating a state database of child care providers, Find Child Care Oregon, with Central Oregon-specific information. The website shows providers by region and services, such as places that offer drop-in care over holidays.

People can also call 211 to speak to a child care referral specialist who will help them navigate the database, or they can text “children” or “ninos” to 898-211 and receive child care referrals in multiple languages, Seale said.

Because Carteño’s husband can take off work, she described the family as “one of the lucky ones.”

Still, tears brimmed as she tried to recall the last time her family had a real vacation.

“I honestly can’t remember,” she said, then apologized for getting emotional. She dashed off to catch tiny Theo before he went down the stairs alone.

They moved to a picnic table laid out with cookie-decorating supplies. Theo contentedly broke his treat into little crumbs, while his mother swept them up, trying not to leave a mess.

“We do what we have to do. I feel for other people more,” she said.