Maine lawmaker unveils plan to expand access to quality child care

WATERVILLE (WGME) – Maine's senate president has unveiled a new plan to expand access to quality child care.

Senator Troy Jackson says as Maine's job market grows, wait lists for child care get longer.

With a low student to teacher ratio, Educare in Waterville provides child care and early childhood education for a number of at-risk preschoolers.

Jeff DeLeo says when he and his wife are at work, their son Jackson is in the preschool program.

"We appreciate that this is available in our area, because it's not available everywhere," DeLeo said.

"You know, for parents it's, I mean it's everything," Jackson said.

Senate President Troy Jackson is sponsoring the new "First 4 ME Early Care and Education Program" bill.

"It's about expanding access to quality child care in Maine by opening up new child care centers, improving quality and building a strong child care workforce," Jackson said.

Specifically, this bill would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to seek proposals for up to 10 pilot projects to provide child care and education services for at-risk preschoolers in Maine, and to report back to the legislature in four years the progress of those projects.

The idea is to combine federal, state and private sector dollars to open up several new child care and preschool centers.

"We have 12,000 births in the State of Maine every year, 12,000,” Jim Clair of the Maine Early Learning Investment Group said. “This is a number that we can handle as a state."

Kaitlyn Taylor says access to child care for her three children allowed her to go back to school.

"They're not just child care,” Taylor said. “They are a vital and important part of my family and my support system."

But right now, most child care centers in Maine have a long wait list.

"This is my fifth year, and I have never not had an extensive wait list, and I get new calls for care at least weekly," Family Child Care Center Owner Morgan Harris said.

This bill aims to open new child care centers, and new doors, for Maine families.

"It's an economic imperative," Clair said.

"It would definitely be great for every neighborhood, every community," DeLeo said.