child care

A proposal from Senate President Troy Jackson would double the current wage stipend for child care providers to $400 a month and expand the number of Maine families who may be eligible for child care subsidies.

A recent Bipartisan Policy Center study finds that child care centers have increased the number of licensed spots for children in Maine during the last two years. But child care advocates say many facilities in Maine aren't operating at their advertised capacity due to workforce challenges.

The Jackson Laboratory will build the new facility on its Bar Harbor campus, and Downeast Family YMCA will provide the staff and run the new center. Local and state officials are hopeful these kind of partnerships could slowly chip away at workforce challenges across Maine.

Several day camps have had to reduce capacity or eliminate programs because of staff shortages.

The commission's latest report points to 2021 data from child care centers in the state. Fifty eight percent say they're understaffed, and 43% had waiting lists.

Nearly a dozen Cumberland County projects and nonprofits will share $7 million in American Rescue Plan Funding. The money will be used to create more affordable housing, provide food security, childcare and mental health services.

Gov. Janet Mills and House Speaker Ryan Fecteau joined dozens of workers and students in anticipation of final passage of a bill that would boost the pay for many child care workers by about $200 a month.

According to a brief, 141 childcare providers in Maine have permanently closed since the pandemic began, and the state's childcare workforce has shrunk by nearly 20%.

American Rescue Plan funding allowed Gov. Janet Mills to offer $200 monthly wage supplements to attract and retain child care workers, but those supplements expire in September.

On Monday, state officials announced that child care providers could apply for more than $73 million in federal funds to pay for everything from rent and utilities to increased salaries for their workers. The new round of funding is part of more than $120 million in new money flooding into Maine's childcare sector from the federal government.