The Catholic Foundation of Maine today announced a new endowment to help parents enrolled in certificate or degree programs pay for child care in Maine.
The endowment was created through a gift from the estate of Emma Rossignol to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon in Winslow, sister Judy Donovan said.
"After doing a lot of research, we realized one of the huge gaps is child care, especially child care for families who earn too much for public assistance, but not enough to truly be self sufficient," she said.
The endowment reached $525,000 this year, and has awarded initial grant totaling almost $14,000 to Kennebec Valley Community Action Program and Community Concepts — funds that will then be awarded to local families on a case-by-case basis.
Community Concepts CEO Jim Martin said child care subsidies are a key support in helping families improve their financial circumstances.
"It's a fundamental resource in our rural service area, [and] helps families that are facing challenges of access and affordability," he said. "Reliable, affordable child care is often the key that unlocks opportunities for parents to gain education and to find employment."
Community Concepts served over 380 children last year in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties, and plans to open its 15th early learning center next year.
