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Investing in our Future HOW MAINE CAN PREPARE OUR CHILDREN TO BECOME TOMORROW’S LEADERS A report from the Maine Women’s Policy Center and the Maine Children’s Alliance

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Introduction

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Preparing Maine for a prosperous future begins with recognizing that our youngest citizens must receive what they need today to become the adults of tomorrow, those who will pursue new businesses, become community leaders, and advance technology and science. A child’s early

High-quality early childhood programs can help to alleviate the challenges children face, and ensure they are resilient as they grow. Quality early childhood education produces higher levels of future school readiness, social and emotional resilience, and even better long-term physical health. Maine’s future success relies upon the accessibility of high-quality, affordable early childhood education for all Maine families. Unfortunately, many families are unable to secure quality early childhood education. Over a six-month period, the

and emotional wellbeing for the rest of their lives and

Maine Women’s Policy Center and the Maine Children’s

ultimately determines the health of our state workforce

Alliance gathered stories from hundreds of Maine women

and economy. Children who grow into adults ready to

confronting the challenges of seeking child care for their

manage life’s challenges and fully contribute to their

children; their voices are filled with frustration, anxiety, and

communities are a product of physical, cognitive, and

desperation. This report presents a depiction and analysis

emotional readiness that begins in their earliest years.

of the state’s current early childhood education programs and options. Where needed, it provides recommendations

Research demonstrates that young children thrive when

for strengthening these initiatives in order to ensure the

they have strong relationships with caring, responsive adults

strongest, longest lasting support possible for our young and

and when they are provided age-appropriate, stimulating

growing children. Because so many women told us about

environments. We also know that 67% of Maine children

their difficulty securing child care, we gave special focus to it, identifying the challenges and some solutions related to

will require care from birth until they reach public school.

access, workforce, cost, and quality.

under the age of six have both parents in the workforce and

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development sets the foundation for their physical, social,

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Finding the right child care center for us, on top of transitioning back to full-time work and pumping during the day was one of the hardest and scariest tasks I have taken on.”

LOUISA “It was a long and difficult challenge to find infant care for my 12-weekold baby. I started looking for infant care when I was

about 3 months pregnant, knowing that I was only allowed 12 weeks of leave from work. I had heard it was a challenge to find a spot in a quality child care center, so I thought I was getting ahead by beginning my search for child care nine months in advance. We put our name on about five waiting

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lists as all the centers were full for the month I needed to start care. Affordability was an issue. Perhaps we could have gotten into a center earlier, or hired a nanny, but the high tuition costs didn’t work for us. We finally were accepted at a center and were grateful for that. I had to go back to work about a week later so we tested out the facility for a few hours to get both myself and the baby used to the center. Being a first time parent, I was not exactly sure what I should expect from a center and the child 4

care providers. I don’t consider myself a super particular person, and I am a fairly easygoing parent. That said, I lowered my standards very much by placing my baby in this particular

center. I had a bad feeling about the center, so I scrambled to re-call every single provider on the websites I had previously searched as well as recommendations from Facebook groups. We finally found a child care center located in a neighboring town, and enrolled our daughter. I was so scared of getting it wrong again that I checked in daily to nurse at lunchtime. I was able to observe how the center operated, and again, had hesitations. We started our search once again. Somehow the timing worked out magically and we were accepted into our current center. Not until I found our current center did I understand that yes, we can, and deserve to, have affordable care with a wonderful, caring staff. Finding the right child care center for us, on top of transitioning back to full-time work and pumping during the day was one of the hardest and scariest tasks I have taken on. I have worked in education for 15 years and notice the disparities among children. Experiencing it first hand was disheartening, frustrating and sad. We are a middle class, well educated, working family. I can’t imagine what people with even fewer resources than us do.”

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An Inventory: Maine’s Current Early Childhood Programs

INVESTMENT BEGINS WITH BABIES We know that children’s learning and development begins at

of participation in educational or job training programming for

birth and that parents are a child’s most important teacher.

parents; and, higher incomes and increased rates of positive

Many parents need support and tools to ensure their children

parenting activities for families.ii

are off to a healthy and strong start. Programs such as Maine Families/Home Visiting, Public Health Nursing, and Early

Public health nurses can provide direct nursing care around

Head Start can support the healthy development of infants

breastfeeding, healthy weight gain, and support for infants

and young children by helping their parents and families be

with special health needs. Research shows that parents

knowledgeable and responsive caregivers.

who receive visits from public health nurses are more likely

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to follow-up with their pediatrician or family physician to Home visiting programs can begin working with families

maintain well-baby visits. These visits help parents become

before a baby is brought home to give expectant parents

confident while supporting healthy babies.

support during pregnancy and to establish a safe and babyfriendly environment. Home visitors offer parents guidance

Unfortunately, the Maine Department of Health and Human

in areas like optimal nutrition, medical care, developmental

Services has significantly reduced the number of public

milestones, and safety. Because home visitors are given

health nurses available to support maternal and child health.

access to young children’s home environments, they are

Unfilled vacancies and shifting the duties of nurses away

often the first to identify and intervene in serious conditions

from maternal and child health has resulted in a loss of direct

of environmental safety, neglect, or violence. The program

services and support to Maine children and families. This

is free to participants of all economic backgrounds. Recent

systematic decrease in maternal and child health services has

research shows benefits of home visiting programs include:

hurt most in Maine’s rural areas, where residents are already

reduced need for remedial education services and increased

struggling with lack of available health care providers.

measures of self-sufficiency in children; increased likelihood

Best Start Initiative United Way of Midcoast Maine established the Best Start Initiative to support parents by creating a unified system of home visiting. Parenting a new baby is full of rewards and challenges for parents. The infant’s experience during those first few months has a lasting effect on healthy brain development, which can have implications for lifelong health. In order to coordinate care for infants and their families from the very beginning, the Best Start Specialist works with families and connects them with the most appropriate services from various providers. These home visiting programs give an extra boost of confidence to family members, share activities to help ensure the child’s healthy development, and connect families to other resources as needed or desired. As part of prenatal care at Mid Coast Medical Group’s Women’s Health Center, all pregnant women, regardless of income, are scheduled to meet with the Best Start Specialist or a home visitor. Community partners for the Initiative include Public Health Nursing, Early Head Start, Maine Families, The Opportunity Alliance, Mid Coast Women’s Health, and Mid Coast Hospital.

Support and expand the state’s Public Health Nursing program: public health nurses provide critical support to infants and their parents. Vacant positions for public health nurses within Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services should be filled. The Legislature’s Committee on Health and Human Services should utilize its oversight responsibilities to review the

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Recommendation

administration’s changes to the Public Health Nursing program and consider statutory changes to ensure the needs for maternal and child health are met. 7

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CHILD CARE We know from years of research on childhood development

development that impacts all children participating in early

that high-quality care for infants and toddlers is crucial for

care in Maine, in addition to direct subsidies for parents.

their future. The environment for young children must be safe

Basic health and safety of children is ensured by the

while fostering exploration. Infants and toddlers require more

licensing and regulation of child care facilities. A quality

hands-on and personalized support, so appropriate staff-to-

rating and improvement system helps parents have a way to

child ratios are much smaller. Too many infants and toddlers in

identify standards of care in programs and can encourage

a setting can cause overstimulation and distractions that are

professionals to improve their quality of care. Maine’s system,

detrimental to children feeling safe and secure. Our youngest

called Quality for ME, is a four-step tool found on the state’s

children must be able to form strong relationships with staff.

website, Child Care Choices.iii The funding also supports

Yet situations where children are shifted to new staff based

quality child care by funding professional development

on a child’s age or because of high staff turnover prevent

for early childhood educators through the Maine Roads to

these strong relationships. Continuity of care is essential for

Quality program.

our youngest children. The federal law that supports child care in the states, the Parents who are searching for child care in Maine have the

Child Care Development Block Grant, was updated in 2014

choice of several different types of care for their child: center

and received strong bipartisan support in Congress, with a

based care; nursery schools; family child care in someone’s

Senate vote of 96-1. The update, the first in 18 years, made

home; or care with a friend or family member (often called

significant changes to the law and provides states with the

family, friend, or neighbor care). The State of Maine requires

opportunity to meaningfully improve child care. As part

a license for child care facilities that serve three or more

of the law, all states were required to provide the federal

children who are unrelated to the caregiver.

government with a three-year child care plan. Maine’s plan

was submitted in March of 2016 and promised significant The federal government provides funding for states

changes beginning in the fall of 2016.iv The plan stated that

to support child care safety, quality, and professional

a “new child care system” would be created, including an

application process that is “seamless and streamlined for

with a provider in the hope they will be found eligible; or turn

families.” As noted in a report commissioned by the State

down a job because they don’t have a way to pay for child

of Maine and written by the Public Consulting Group to

care. Maine’s support of child care allows the state to

review federal block grant programs, including the Child Care

receive millions of dollars in federal matching funds, which

Development Fund, a change to the application process is

also supports the entire child care system. The inspection

critical for families.v

and licensing of child care facilities throughout the state is supported with these funds, along with training and

The current system requires parents to navigate a two-step

professional development to assist all child care providers.

process that is confusing, time consuming and on average

Unfortunately, Maine has not received the full amount of

requires them to wait six weeks before they learn about their

federal funds that are available to support child care in Maine.

eligibility. If a parent has just been offered a job, but needs

Last fall a “Working Group to Study Background Checks for

to secure child care before they can accept the position, the

Child Care Facilities and Providers” found that Maine is not

current system’s long wait makes that virtually impossible.

utilizing millions of federal dollars that could be supporting

Parents have an untenable choice: accept the position and

Maine parents who qualify for the child care subsidy program.

cobble together temporary care for their child; go into debt

Recommendation The existing two-step application process for child care subsidy should be eliminated. The application should be streamlined to allow families to quickly access child care so they can take

The Legislature’s Committee on Health & Human Services should investigate why Maine is failing to spend federal Child Care Development Funds that have been allocated to the State of Maine.

The Health & Human Services Committee should also undertake a review of the federal

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advantage of employment opportunities.

reauthorized Child Care Development Block Grant statute and Maine’s State Child Care Plan to further understand Maine’s obligation to meet new federal law and standards. 9

HEAD START SERVES ONLY

31.5%

OF ELIGIBLE MAINE CHILDREN

HEAD START Head Start delivers comprehensive early learning, health,

in turn ultimately improve outcomes for children. But due to

nutrition, and family support services to low-income children

limited funding, the program can only serve 31.5% of eligible

from birth to age five. Federal and state funding for Head

Maine children.

Start is provided in the form of both center-based care and home-based services, which together support entire

The federal office of the Administration of Children and

families—not only children—living in poverty. Early Head Start

Families has recognized the need for integration and

targets pregnant women and children ages birth to three

collaboration among programs serving young children. Since

years of age—a time when high-quality care is greatly needed

1990, the office has offered “collaboration grants” to all

for healthy developing brains. Head Start assists children

states to support the development of multi-agency and public

ages three to five. Head Start and Early Head Start serve over

and private partnerships at the state and national levels.

3,000 of the most severely at-risk children aged birth to five

These partnerships are intended to encourage collaboration

years of age in Maine.

between Head Start and other early childhood services, integrate Head Start with state decisions affecting low-

Head Start serves Maine’s most vulnerable and at-risk

income families, and strengthen Head Start’s capacity to be

children with comprehensive early care and education. All

a partner on behalf of those who need support. Partnerships

children from families with incomes at or below the federal

assist in building early childhood systems and provide access

poverty level are financially eligible for Head Start (in 2016,

to comprehensive services and support for all low-income

$24,300 annually for family of fourvi). Children and families

children. Yet, Maine’s Department of Health and Human

receive a range of services, including health, nutrition, vision,

Services has elected not to support a federally-funded Head

hearing, and mental health services for children, as well

Start State Collaboration Office, and Maine is the only state

as home visits, family literacy, and vocational supports for

that has declined federal funding to support Head Start

families. In addition, career support, financial literacy, and

collaboration and integration at the state level.

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parenting skills training provide resources for parents, which

Recommendation Increase state investment in Head Start by funding slots for 50% of eligible children by 2018, 75% in 2019, and 100% by 2020. Head Start has proven its value in preparing young children to learn. Maine should increase its financial investment to ensure that all eligible families and children can benefit from Head Start.

Maine should reestablish a Head Start State Collaboration Office and use available federal funds

to support it.

MODEL

Thanks to a federal Early Head Start/Child Care Partnership Grant and financial support from the Maine Early Learning Investment Group (MELIG), Educare Central Maine and Kennebec Valley Community Action Agency are conducting a community pilot designed to expand access to high-quality early child care and education for low-income children and families in Somerset County. Informed by Educare’s core features (embedded professional development, parent/family engagement, high-quality teaching practices, and data utilization), Educare and KVCAP staff partner with community child care providers to deliver comprehensive Early Head Start services for infants, toddlers, and three-year-olds. Community Providers receive coaching in the best practices of early childhood education instruction designed to improve learning environments and effective parent engagement. The project’s community partners address the barriers to parents’ ability to meet their educational and workforce goals. Finally, research partners are evaluating the outcomes for children and providers’ quality progress. Educare is a partnership between Waterville Public Schools, Kennebec Valley Community Action Program, the Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation, and the Buffett Early Childhood Fund.

KAITLYN “As I was getting ready to start my life and marry the man of my dreams, he lost his job. We struggled but trudged forward with post-secondary education for him and continued work for me. We tried hard to better ourselves and not spiral out of control as we became newlyweds. As we worked, we continued as planned to have a baby. At 24 weeks of pregnancy, I fell deathly ill, was hospitalized, and my son’s journey into this world came shortly thereafter. Anthony was born at just 25 weeks gestation and we both clung to life. became well enough to return home, though still not knowing what to really expect. My dream of family was no longer easy to plan or manage.

for him. We searched for affordable part-time child care and we found a local home daycare with great references. We paid $75 for three days of care per week. He attended for three weeks before I was told she couldn’t handle his needs or multiple therapists. Trying to plan again, my husband and I, with support of our home visitor, began weighing the pros and cons—could Anthony handle a larger child care center, could a larger child care center handle him? Feeling defeated and like I couldn’t even assure that my child could fit in, we finally turned to Educare Central Maine. Leaving behind our homebased supports we embarked on a new journey with a centerbased Head Start facility. Nervous and scared for our fragile boy, we hoped for the best and kept trudging on—what we got was so much more than we could have ever hoped for! The

I invited Head Start home-based child care services into our life. I worked to provide everything anyone suggested that he may need, but it still wasn’t enough for my child. Hospital stays, specialists, therapies, doctors, and surgeries—our developing as we would have hoped in some areas which led me to seek a child care setting, a place where I hoped he

specialists were welcomed, not turned away. His health needs were met, and never a burden. He grew in ways I had longed for. Now, at four-years-old he is finally over 30lbs. He loves Educare. He has learned that he loves to read and to write. I continue to learn to be a better mom thanks to the supports that Head Start has offered me.”

home visitor supported us through it all. Still, Anthony wasn’t

difference in the quality holistic approach was remarkable. His

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Over the next four months, we both healed and eventually

could get more than what just a mom and dad could provide

A HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEM IN MAINE COULD SAVE TAXPAYERS OVER

FOR EVERY

INVESTED

PUBLIC PRESCHOOL Access to high-quality preschool can enrich childrenâ€™s

program annually has not been funded by the state budget.

development so that they thrive in school and later enter the workforce as well-prepared employees. Rather than pay more

Public preschool is an optional program and the decision to

to address problems in later years, Maine can make smart

offer a four-year-old program is made by school boards at the

investments in proven early childhood programs to ensure

local level. Some areas of the state serve the majority of their

a better future for our children and our state. Research by

four year olds through public preschool, where other areas

University of Maine economist Philip Troster demonstrates

serve a small percentage.

vii

that a high-quality early childhood system in Maine, including public preschool, could save taxpayers over $7 for every $1

With a four-year federal preschool development fund grant

invested in the program.

that provided approximately 12 Maine school districts with funding to create or expand preschool, more school districts

In 2014, Maine lawmakers voted to encourage local school

continue to offer public preschool, yet we are still years away

districts to establish voluntary public preschools by the year

from universal preschool access for all Maine four-year-olds.

2018. Unfortunately, the $4 million needed to support the viii

Recommendation Support financial investment to expand voluntary preschool programs around the state. The 128th Maine Legislature should invest $8 million in start up costs for public preschool in the 2017-2018 state budget.

Invest in high-quality preschool classrooms and expand the program to new school districts while encouraging collaboration with Head Start and local high-quality child care centers. The Department of Health & Human Services should reinstate contracts with local school districts or INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

private child care providers who can ensure early and afterschool care to support four-year-olds participating in Maine public preschool programs.

Improve the existing infrastructure by allocating additional resources to increase quality, provide support and enhance collaboration between public preschools, local providers and Head Start programs.

Increase the number of full -day programs to ensure stronger child outcomes. More time spent on

developing social, emotional, and cognitive skills will help young children be ready for kindergarten.

PUBLIC PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT (PERCENT) 2015

11.3% - 13.3% 13.4% - 41.4% 41.5% - 64.1% 64.2% - 83.0%

Maine Childrenâ€™s Alliance KIDS COUNT Data Center, datacenter.kidscount.org A project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

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LEGEND

Major Challenges of Child Care: Access, Workforce, Cost, and Quality

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The feeling of having almost no options for after-hour care was so frustrating, especially when I had to use a substandard child care provider, not by choice, but because that was my only option.â€?

Over the past year, hundreds of Maine women shared with us their frustration in finding and affording appropriate care for their children. For that reason, we have chosen to focus on the issues they shared: access, cost, and quality. Because the majority of Maineâ€™s young children live in households where all available

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parents work, these families must rely on someone safe and trusted to care for their children while they work. Nationally and in Maine the landscape for child care poses monumental challenges for families at many income levels: Where are the

providers? What quality care do they offer? Will there be an open slot in time for the child? Can they care for an infant? Can the child stay late? What about night-time care? Is the child care affordable? Are subsidies available or applicable? All these questions haunt families with a child on the way or in the first days of parenthood. And, in Maine, approximately one in five of our youngest children live in poverty.ix Children in poverty, who are already more likely to be exposed to adverse circumstances like food insecurity or homelessness, are the most in need of quality care, but are less likely to receive it.

VICTORIA ROXANNE CAITLIN “I have called every other licensed

“I’ve been on a waitlist for two years for

evening job and had to find child care for

center or in-home care within 20 miles

a spot at a local child care center. Before

my daughter, who was about two years

of my work and only one, which is 30

we settled on a home-based center,

old. There were very few options, and

minutes out of my way, has an infant

we were desperate and panicked for

both that I found were expensive. I still

space. This makes my commute over

a spot anywhere. We were waitlisted

feel guilty about the poor quality of care

60 miles a day, adding to the expense

everywhere within a 10 mile radius.

my daughter received at the only place

of child care. I feel like I have to choose

It was horribly stressful. How was I

that would work for us. The feeling of

between my career and a child. “

supposed to go back to work without

having almost no options for after-hour

child care? We eventually found our

care was so frustrating, especially when

current home-based child care provider

I had to use a substandard child care

through word of mouth. I don’t love

provider, not by choice, but because

the level of care that is provided, but

that was my only option. Being a single

we don’t have much of a choice. It’s

mother with little income is so tiring, as

depressing, frustrating, and expensive.”

you cannot make the best choice for your child.”

well as heartbreaking when you think

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“There was a time when I had an

ACCESS Access to high-quality child care is crucial for children and

continuing to pay for their weekly child care.

parents. Yet affording and finding high-quality care is extremely frustrating for parents. Many low-income parents

The State should streamline the eligibility process. In a

are challenged by the current child care subsidy system.

plan submitted to the federal government last March, the

Many parents, regardless of their income, struggle to find

Department of Health & Human Services repeatedly stated

high-quality care they can afford. Solutions include strong

that they planned to “streamline and simplify” the experience

child care resource and referral agencies, streamlining

for parents and providers. As the Department heard during

eligibility, and using grants and contracts to increase access

stakeholder meetings, the current system is too difficult

at the state level.

and confusing for families to navigate. The application process for child care subsidy should be streamlined to allow

Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

families to access and pay for child care so that they can

Choosing child care is one of the most significant decisions

quickly take advantage of employment opportunities. Funding

parents will make for their young child, yet good information

streams, such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

is often difficult to find and trust. Local Child Care Resource

or Child Care Development Funds, should be transparent

and Referral agencies can assist both parents and providers.

for families and providers. While state law requires a single

These agencies help match parents with appropriate

universal application form for child care programs the reality

providers in their area who have openings, and offer parents

for families is a two-tiered system which involves different

information about child development as well as criteria for

divisions within the Department of Human Services.

successful early learning and high-quality child care. Staff also assist parents in navigating the menu of government

Use Contracts and Grants to Increase Access

programs that may aid their family, and also support child

The reauthorization of the Child Care Development Block

care providers with coaching, mentoring, and continuing

Grant encourages states to “improve the supply and quality

professional development. Maine’s regional network

of child care services” for underserved and vulnerable

of Resource Development Centers were defunded and

populations. The federal government suggests states to

eliminated in 2012. While the state supports a website called

use contracts or grants to support at-risk children, such as

Child Care Choices, it does not provide information about

those with disabilities, homeless children, those in rural/

availability or openings.

underserved areas, Maine’s tribal communities, or children

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in the child welfare system. In addition, access to care for Streamline Eligibility for Child Care Subsidy to Improve

children of parents working nontraditional hours should be

Access For the majority of parents who find employment,

considered. The updated law also recommends increasing

securing and arranging child care goes in tandem with their

the supply and quality of care for infants and toddlers. Maine

acceptance of a job. If they are unsure of whether they will

needs to find creative ways to serve these children, including

receive a subsidy for child care, they must turn down the

revisiting the use of contracts to serve unique populations

offer of employment; place their child in temporary care that

or providing a higher rate of compensation to providers for

may be unlicensed or potentially unsafe; or locate licensed

vulnerable populations.

care from a provider who will accept subsidy payments but is willing to risk that the parents could be denied and will need

Utilizing contracts provides stability for parents and providers

to pay retroactively. We have heard stories of parents who

and allows the state to target high risk populations, such as

took the risk they would receive subsidy only to learn they

those in child welfare or children born affected by substances,

were denied. These parents are responsible for the full cost of

with high-quality care. These are the types of interventions

care to the provider. It is common for providers to experience

that can change the trajectory of children’s lives.

a loss as parents simply cannot afford both back payments and

KATRINA

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“Since taking in a newborn baby as foster parents last year, my husband and I have experienced a crash course in identifying and evaluating child care centers. I find it tragic that child care workers and early child care services are so devalued in our society. From the low pay of the workers, to the hodgepodge of spaces used to

From the low pay of the workers, to the hodgepodge of spaces used to care for children—it’s clear that child care centers are not a national or state priority.”

care for children—it’s clear that child care centers are not a national or state priority. Our foster son was at a center for a year, but after a tough decision, we decided that we wanted to enroll him in a center with more resources and a stronger curriculum. As I looked around, I found lowerincome people and many children from refugee and immigrant families on a fixed budget find lower-priced centers. Segregation starts pretty early it seems, and with the policy of giving priority to siblings—it seems that privilege is passed down in families. I was shocked at the disparity in terms of offerings at different centers. Some centers offer daily meals, beautiful groomed yards, science or music-based curricula that stimulate development, and other features. Some centers have little-to-nothing. I imagine that the staff at these centers do their best with what they have, but if you’re understaffed and underpaid, there is little incentive to improve the environment for children. Finally, I contacted a couple home-based providers but they were filled to capacity with waitlists.”

Recommendation Rebuild the Child Care Resource and Referral system. Young families need local assistance to help them find appropriate high-quality care for their children. Providers need local support for professional development and to manage the business and licensing aspects of running a child care

The Department of Health and Human Services should establish time limits for determinations of child care eligibility. Maine law should be amended to require the Department to provide notification of either authorization or denial of a child care subsidy application within five business days.

The department should use grants and contracts for one of the most important provisions of the

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facility. Maine must re-establish the Child Care Resource and Referral system in local communities.

reauthorization of Child Care Development Block Grant, to ensure equal access for the most 17

vulnerable and underserved children.

ACCORDING TO THE ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE, THE TYPICAL CHILD CARE WORKER IN MAINE WOULD SPEND

MODEL

46%

OF THEIR EARNINGS TO PAY FOR INFANT CARE.

North Carolina’s WAGE$ Project addresses the low wage, high turnover problem by subsidizing care provider wages for a certain “commitment period,” while also including incentives for attaining higher levels of training and education. Program outcomes show that it is possible to reduce turnover by improving low wages. In 2016, the program saw turnover rates of 14%, compared to a 31% turnover rate of full-time teachers before implementation of the WAGE$ project.xii

WORKFORCE How do we develop the workforce so that more people go

interactions and relationships with adults, and how to support

into business providing care, more providers are able to

young children from the beginning of their lives. Ideally all

offer high-quality care, and child care business expands so

child care providers and their staff would receive ongoing

that families have more choice? There are several barriers

professional development as part of their job. Yet, many

preventing an increase in the number of child care providers,

child care providers and staff find it challenging to attend

particularly those able to offer high-quality care.

professional development opportunities while they are caring for children.

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First, both nationally and in Maine, child care workers are among the lowest-paid workers.x While these workers care

Finally, licensed, staffed and high-quality child care is more

for our cherished young children, many cannot afford their

expensive to run than more informal care and providers must

own daily living costs and do not have employment benefits.

run financially viable businesses. Raising client prices to pay

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the typical child

for higher quality instruction and staff training, unfortunately,

care worker in Maine would spend 46% of their earnings

makes child care services unaffordable for most Maine

to pay for their own infant care. Low wages and minimal

families. Maine does offer an incentive system through tiered

benefits can lead to high turnover; this, in turn, is detrimental

reimbursements to child care providers who offer quality care

to the children who need stable attachments. As the future of

through the Child Care Development Fund and other public

Maine, our children deserve investment; higher wages would

assistance vouchers. Yet these vouchers fail to offset the true

attract workers with higher skills.

costs of the needed investments, such as staff education and

materials. And, vouchers are vulnerable to unpredictable rate Second, Maine needs to ensure that child care providers know how children learn and develop, what children need from their

changes from the Department of Health and Human Services.

SHARED SERVICES ALLIANCES Shared Service Alliancesâ€”a national

so that providers can focus on child

beyond the capacity of many small

model--are networks of small early

development and care.

providers. Child care providers

care centers and/or family child care

with little or no staff need help with

homes within a state or community

Such alliances are needed because

administrative functions so that their

that share costs and administrative

the majority of child care services are

business can succeed.

and program services. Alliances use a

delivered by nonprofits, for-profit

range of business models but have a

centers, or very small family care

Based on this national model, Maine

common purpose: to strengthen child

providers. Many of these are small

Shared Services Alliance offers smaller

care businesses so that they are more

providers, and many rely exclusively

child care providers shared purchasing,

efficient, more financially sustainable,

on tuition revenue. There is limited

staff services, information, and

and better able to deliver high-quality

government funding to support child

resources. By banding together in this

services. Shared Service Alliances

care subsidies, and such funding

way, participating child care providers

assist child care providers and develop

can require detailed accounting and

get business support yet still maintain

new approaches to the business side

compliance with quality standards

their independence.

Recommendation Establish a minimum reimbursement rate for child care vouchers. Setting minimum reimbursement rates in statute would resolve the uncertainty for child care business owners who plan to spend the money to improve the quality of their child care operation.

Develop a comprehensive statewide initiative focused on improving the expertise of the early childhood workforce. Strategies to pursue could include: i) Invest in and improve access to professional development for child care providers statewide; ii) Develop a partnership with the Early EdU Alliance to provide options for providers to obtain early

includes on-the-job professional training and continuous quality improvement.

Promote a policy that puts early childhood teachers on equal pay footing with public school instructors. Early childhood teachers with Bachelor degrees are typically paid half the average salary of a kindergarten teacher with the same credentials. Other states have addressed the difference in pay scale through wage supplement programsxiii or tax credits for programs and

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

childhood credentials; and, iii) Develop a statewide program for early childhood teachers that

individuals who attain a formal credential and stay in the early childhood classroom for a specific 19

number of years.

ACCORDING TO CHILD CARE AWARE OF AMERICA, MAINE’S AVERAGE COST OF INFANT CARE IN A CENTER SETTING IS $806 PER MONTH OR

$9,677

ANNUALLY

COST OF CARE As the voices of Maine women demonstrate, the single

care payment rates that are high enough to enable families

biggest challenge that families at all income levels face when

receiving child care assistance to find and afford care. Yet

looking for child care is affordability. Low-income working

many argue the market rate survey does not provide a true

families struggle to make ends meet in many ways, yet the

cost of care. Other methods of rate setting that include

struggle to afford child care reaches middle-income families,

the cost of care may be advantageous and encourage more

as well, especially care for infants. In Maine, infant care rivals

participation in the system.

the costs of college tuition. According to Child Care xiv

Aware of America, Maine’s average cost of infant care in

Child care subsidies are a direct way to help families afford

a center setting is $9,677 annually, or $806/month. On

child care. Once a family applies and is determined to be

average, infant care costs only 4.8% less than rent, and takes

eligible, the percentage of the eligible child’s tuition is sent

up 16.8% of an average family income. According to the

directly to the child care provider. This creates a reliable

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “affordable”

source of income for providers. The state can ensure that

child care means that it costs a family no more than

programs participating in the subsidy program meet health,

10% of their income. Under this standard, child care is only

safety, and educational quality standards.

xvi

affordable for a little over a quarter of Maine families. The Child Care Development Fund’s goals are to increase The Child and Dependent Care Credit and the Dependent

accessibility and affordability of quality child care in Maine

Care Tax Credit are the national and Maine state tax-based

by offering vouchers to income-eligible parents who are

solutions, respectively, to ensure that young families are able

working or attending school.xix Maine’s Office of Family

to stay in the workforce while having access to high-quality

Independence through the Parents as Scholars program and

care. Yet, the benefits are limited. The tax credits do not go

the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program offer

far enough to alleviate the burden of unaffordable care; the

similar child care assistance. Although the type of assistance

federal tax credit is not refundable (once the credit eliminates

provided through the programs is nearly identical, there are

the entire tax liability, any balance of the credit does not go

different and separate processes to apply for and administer

back to the taxpayer). A family has to be able to pay for the

each program.

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child care upfront before claiming, and later, receiving, the tax creditxx which has not kept pace with inflation.

Many more families need these child care support programs than are being currently helped. In fact, usage rates in Maine

Maine parents who meet income guidelines can qualify for

suggest that only a small portion of eligible families are using

child care subsidies from the Department of Health and

the available child care subsidies. In 2016, almost 5,000

Human Services. Providers who accept children participating

children under age 12 received a child care subsidy. With an

in the subsidy system receive a rate of pay based on a

estimated 51,000 low-income children under age 8, Maine

market rate survey of child care fees or prices charged by

is only serving a small amount of those income eligible. The

providers across the state. States use the results of these

application process for the subsidy programs is lengthy

market rate surveys to inform rate-setting policy and to

and requires multiple applications, all of which creates a

establish maximum reimbursement rates for children served

barrier to participation for those who could benefit from the

through child care assistance programs. The federal policy’s

program. Program applicants report waiting a long time for

underlying purpose is to encourage states to establish child

program office visits and determinations of eligibility.xx

ON AVERAGE, INFANT CARE COSTS ONLY 4.8% LESS THAN RENT, AND TAKES UP

MODEL

16.8%

OF AN AVERAGE FAMILY INCOME

By utilizing cost modeling, the state of Louisiana determined there was a significant disparity between individual market rates and true costs, specifically in the areas of infant-toddler care. As a result, the Louisiana Department of Education developed policies based on the true costs of providing infant-toddler care in order to better support care providers and to offer parents access to higher qualities of care.xviii

ANGELA

JACLYN

BETH

“As a child care provider, I have told

“My husband and I want to start a family

“When I was six months pregnant, I

all of the parents I work with about

but a big part of our hesitation has to do

reached out to get on waiting lists for

the different kinds of programs that

with our very real fear about the ability

child care centers. I was told it would be

can help with child care fees if they

to access child care. Other families we

one and a half to three years before we

are income eligible. The one program

know have had to be on long waiting

could get a spot. I work from home, and

that seems to have the most issues is

lists for quality child care and often have

my husband switched to a lower-paying

the voucher program. Parents will fill

to rely on parents and siblings to fill the

job not on his career-track, in order to

out the needed paperwork and return

many gaps in child care options. We

be home with our son two days a week.

their application and, on occasion, their

do not have any family in the state. We

Thankfully, we have been able to make

application will not make it to the proper

both have college debts that make one

it work. We were also given a federal

office. As a provider, I will often check

parent staying at home not feasible.”

subsidy, which omitted us from a slot we received at one center, but bumped

in Maine to see if they have received

us up the line for another. We have 12

the applications. Luckily, I am familiar

hours of babysitters that work in our

with the program and know who to

home each week, and barely can afford

contact. Many providers do not know

that. It is so frustrating to not find a spot

the process and who to contact to help

for our son in a center, and that it is so

parents. I have found that the contacts

expensive that we couldn’t do it without

in the subsidy program are very helpful

the subsidy.”

and willing to work with providers and

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with the state subsidy program worker

parents to get through the process. making sure that the application goes to the right office.”

The most difficult part of the process is

Recommendation Increase child care subsidy reimbursement to the 75th percentile of market rate. The current reimbursement rate is at the 50th percentile, so low that many providers are unwilling to accept subsidy. The low payment rate, high level of paperwork, and unpredictable timing of payments from the state are all factors leading to some child care providers declining to accept the child care subsidy. If providers do not accept the subsidy, low-income working families cannot access their child care services—another barrier for this population.

Raise the cap in the federal spending account. Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts are a pre-tax benefit used to pay for dependent care services including child care and before/after school care. With a higher cap on these accounts, families would be able to save more money pretax for child care. A federal bill proposed by Senators Burr and King—The Promoting Affordable Care for Everyone Act--would raise the cap on Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts to 50% of care expenses, and index that cap to inflation.

Account for true costs of infant-toddler care in public reimbursement levels, following Louisiana’s example. Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services should develop public reimbursement policies based on the true costs of providing infant-toddler care in order to better support care providers and to offer parents access to higher qualities of care.

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Develop alternative ways to determine the cost of child care that truly account for the cost of highquality care rather simply using market rates for subsidies . Using actual costs rather than arbitrary “rates” will take into account key factors like teacher training, staff ratios, number of classrooms, and attendance. This will give a more accurate figure of costs involved in maintaining a high-quality program.xvi For example, the Federal Office of Child Care has developed a tool for analyzing the actual cost of providing child care through all of the standard levels of the quality rating and improvement system. Other states have reviewed their surveys and made modifications based on recommendations from experts like The Alliance for Early Childhood Finance’s “Provider Cost of

Quality Estimator.”xxii Maine should follow suit.

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Special Focus on Maine’s Child Care Tax Credit The federal tax code, and that of 26 states, including Maine, provide some assistance to families in meeting their employment-related child care expenses. However, the current Maine Child Care Credit could be improved, so that working families may receive more meaningful assistance in paying for the child care that is so essential to their economic well-being.

Maine’s child care tax credit is based on the federal Child and Dependent Care (CADC) Tax Credit. It is worth 25% of the federal CADC Credit after it has been limited by the claimant’s federal tax liability. If the Maine credit is claimed for higher-quality child care services, it is worth 50% of the CADC Credit (limited by federal tax liability). The Maine credit is refundable, up to $500.

But the current Maine credit provides limited benefits for working families on the lower end of the income scale. First and foremost, the Maine credit is limited because the federal CADC Credit upon which it is based is not refundable. Because the federal credit is not refundable, tax filers with little or no federal income tax liability may not be able to claim it. Even if low-income families claim the federal credit, they may not fully benefit from it because of limited federal tax liability. For example, if a family’s federal credit is worth $800 but its federal tax liability is only $200, the family is able to claim a credit of only $200 on its federal return.

This can significantly limit the benefit that lower-income families receive from the federal CADC Credit (and by extension, from the Maine Child Care Credit). It has been estimated that families with incomes below $30,000 receive just 4% of the tax benefits of the federal CADC Credit, nationwide.xxiii Similarly, fewer lowerincome Maine residents claim the federal CADC Credit. Currently, about 70% of tax filers in Maine who claim and benefit from the federal CADC Credit (and presumably the current Maine credit, which is based on the federal credit) have incomes above $50,000xxiv, which exceeds the median income in Maine ($48,453)xxv.

In addition, those lower-income Maine families that do claim the federal credit receive fewer benefits, on average, than higher-income families.xxvi This is despite the fact that the federal credit is designed to provide a higher percentage of child care expenses to lower-income families. In addition, the Maine credit offers limited benefits because it is worth only 25% of the federal credit (50% for quality child care services). The federal credit itself is worth between 35 and 20% of a family’s child care expenses (depending on the family’s federal Adjusted Gross Income) up to a maximum of $3,000 for one child or dependent, or $6,000 for two or more INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

children or dependents. Thus, the Maine credit provides benefits that represent only a fraction of a family’s child care expenses.

When these elements are considered together, it is not surprising that the Maine Child Care Credit only offers limited assistance to Maine working families, especially those who are lower-income. The data suggest that the amounts claimed under the Maine Child Care Credit — while certainly helpful to eligible families — likely make only a small dent in families’ actual child and dependent care costs.xxvii The average amount of the federal CADC Credit claimed by Maine families in 2012 was $524.64, which would result in a Maine Child

Care Credit of $131.16 ($262.32 if quality care services were used). The average amounts are smaller for lower-income families.

Recommendation Increase the percentage of the federal child care tax credit that may be claimed for purposes of the Maine credit to 100% (200%, if high-quality care is used). This would quadruple the value of the current Maine Child Care Credit and offer more meaningful assistance for the average costs of child care in Maine. In order for Maine families to take full advantage of the increased percentage, the current $500 limitation on refundability should be removed.

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE 25

QUALITY CARE The research is clear. Children in high-quality programs

Maine’s higher education system, to promote professional

do better in life, academically and socially.

development opportunities throughout the state.

xxviii

To ensure

quality programs, we must have standards, measures,

Professional development is offered in core knowledge areas

and evaluations in place. We need well-trained staff who

such as health and safety or developmentally appropriate

understand the developmental needs of our youngest

practice, or completing an early childhood credential

children and can work with families at all income levels.

program. Maine Roads also works to improve quality by

We won’t get to these quality experiences without

assisting child care centers, family child care providers, part-

accountability, funding, coordination, and cohesion

day programs, and school-age programs to meet national

across the entire child care system.

accreditation standards.

Quality Improvement System

Effective professional development links coaching to

A quality rating and improvement system, such as Quality

group training. This allows teachers to practice what they

for ME, creates a ranking system for parents to identify high-

have learned in the presence of a supportive expert to

quality care and gives incentives to providers to improve.

progress to a deeper understanding.

Without public awareness, the entire point of the system, to encourage parents to select high-quality care, doesn’t work.

Family, Friend and Neighbor Care

The system assumes that parents will demand quality care,

Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers make it possible

providers will desire to improve based on parent demands, and that incentives by the state will also encourage providers to move up the quality scale.

for parents to get and keep a job and ensure their children are safe and well-cared for in a nurturing environment. Many families choose FFN care because they want someone they know and trust to care for their children. Parents

The lack of demand from parents, along with a lack of investment from the state to provide incentives for providers, has resulted in a system that needs reform. In 2014, the University of Maine, in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine, was awarded the Quality for ME Revision Project contract from the State of Maine.xxix The 140-page report was submitted in August of 2015 and includes suggestions for significant reforms to the quality rating and improvement system, including: • Establishing greater visibility of a program’s rating online; • Change the name as part of a larger re-branding and marketing effort; • Change from the existing “Steps” framework to a “Stars” framework, which is more familiar to consumers of all types;

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

• Open eligibility to programs as soon as providers become licensed; • Provide steeper tiered reimbursements to incentivize child

working evenings, nights, weekends, or irregular hours may turn to FFN care because it is the only option flexible enough to accommodate their schedules. Across the country, states have begun to employ a variety of strategies to provide access to resources and technical assistance for FFN providers to improve the quality of child care offered. There are currently limited resources and financial support in Maine for professional development of FFN providers. Social Emotional Learning and Development Efforts to support the development of both cognitive and social-emotional skills deserve more attention in the design and functioning of early care and education programs. These are all core capacities in learning and in life. In fact, research is also clear that when early childhood programs emphasize both academic and social-emotional skills, these programs see a range of positive outcomes, including reductions in children’s problem behaviors, improved classroom climate, and reduced teacher stress.

care programs to enroll and move up to higher quality; and • Offer additional financial resources such as mini-grants,

Early childhood mental health consultants provide

increased scholarships for tuition, or college loan forgiveness.

guidance and support to help staff and families in early care and education programs across systems promote young

Professional Development

children’s social-emotional development and prevent,

Maine Roads to Quality is the Early Care and Education

identify, or reduce mental health challenges. This behind-

Professional Development Network for Maine and its

the-scenes approach to improving the capacity of providers

purpose is to promote and support professionalism in the

and families is distinct from providing direct clinical

early care and education field. Maine Roads to Quality

mental health services. Consultation services are voluntary

works with various partners across the state, including

and offered at no cost to the program or family.

MODEL

In Connecticut, the non-profit called “All Our Kin” offers many programs for supporting family care providers as well as for the parents and children they serve. The programs target areas in which child care providers may struggle: step-by-step support to obtain and maintain licensing; networking through a provider network; and, hands-on professional training and technical assistance in best practices of care. All Our Kin recognizes that well-supported child care providers pass the benefits of their training and new knowledge on to their client families and communities.

MODEL

The Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition has worked to decrease the achievement gap between Latino and non-Latino children in the State of Colorado by investing in a program to support the women who care for the state’s youngest Latino children. Providers Advancing School Outcomes (PASO) was created to educate and train the many unlicensed friends, aunts, and grandmothers who are caring for children ages birth to five. The PASO early childhood education program is intensive with 120-hours of instruction. The 12-month training includes the presentation of 30 separate 4-hour seminar classes by the Program Trainers — referred to in the program as Tías, or “aunties.” This training is accompanied by two monthly visits by the Tias (trainers) to the homes of the caregivers. These in-home meetings allow relationships to form and provide the trainer with the opportunity to respond to questions and to discuss with providers how the information can be applied to the care and education they are providing to the children. Trainers also offer materials and training to caregivers to help them convert an area in their homes into learning centers for small children. Providers receive certification in CPR, First Aid, Universal Precautions, and Medication Administration. Finally, PASO prepares the providers to apply for the Child Development Associate, by assisting them with the application and to demonstrate their knowledge of the required competency standards.

The Early Childhood Consultation Partnership is a statewide, evidence-based, mental health consultation program designed to meet the social and emotional needs of children ages birth to five in early care or education settings in Connecticut. The program builds the capacity of caregivers

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

MODEL

at an individual, family, classroom, or center-wide level. It provides support, education, and 27

consultation to caregivers in order to promote enduring and optimal outcomes for young children.

Recommendation Maine should increase the incentives to provide high-quality care under the child care subsidy system by increasing the current “quality bump.” For example, providers at level four of Maine’s quality rating system should receive a 25% quality rate differential as opposed to the current 10% differential. Providers need significant incentives to move up the quality rating system.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Legislature’s Committee on Health and Human Services should review the University of Maine’s 2015 report and begin the efforts necessary to implement a four-year plan to improve the state quality rating improvement system, including any necessary statutory or regulatory changes.

Invest in public awareness of the value of early learning. Conduct a public information campaign on the value of early learning and basic strategies, like reading, talking, and singing, to stimulate brain growth.

Develop policies to help family, friend, and neighbor providers increase the quality of their care. Policies could assist providers with the additional costs of providing high-quality care and could support parents who need better access in order to remain at work or school. State policy makers can explore and develop a child care support policy specific to Maine’s unique landscape and challenges.

Develop an initiative similar to All Our Kin to support family, friend, and neighbor providers, as well

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as the parents and children they serve.

Increase the financing and support for professional development, including coaching and technical assistance, provided by Maine Roads to Quality. While it was common practice to think that training alone would suffice for ongoing in-service professional development, recent research has demonstrated that training alone is not sufficient.xxx

Establish a statewide voluntary Early Childhood Consultation Program to provide supports and guidance for early care and education teachers and providers serving infants and young children in

center and home-based child care, Early Head Start, Head Start, and public preschool settings who are experiencing significant and persistent challenging behaviors that put them at risk of learning difficulties and removal from early learning settings.

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Conclusion

A prosperous future for Maine requires that we ensure the success of all children. We must invest in them and the professionals who support them and ensure they can participate in the quality programs we know will make a difference in their lives and in Maine’s future economy. Nobody should have to agonize with a decision of whether or not to have a family based on whether she can find and afford high-quality child care. The challenges Maine families face are

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

real, but they are not insurmountable. Vision and leadership is needed to conceive what we can do for Maine children and their families and to make it reality. To better serve parents and prepare our children to succeed, we must create an integrated system. The early childhood programs currently scattered across different branches and divisions of state government should be unified in a single entity with a cabinet level advocate for early childhood.

The Maine Women’s Policy Center and the Maine Children’s Alliance stand ready to share all we have learned and to work with partners to advance meaningful change on behalf of the youngest members of our society.

END NOTES i

Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2017) KIDS COUNT Data Center. Retrieved from http://datcenter.kidscount.org.

The Pew Charitable Trusts. (2015) Home Visiting Family Support Programs: Benefits of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2014/02/03/home-visiting-family-support-programs. ii

iii

The University of Maine. (2011-2012) Child Care Choices. Retrieved from http://www.childcarechoices.me/Home.aspx.

Child Care and Development Fund. (FY 2016—2018) Child Care and Development Fund Plan for Maine. Retrieved from http://www.maine.gov/ dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/child_care/FY2016-2018%20CCDF%20Maine%20State%20Plan.pdf.

v Public Consulting Group, Inc. (2015) State of Maine DHHS Block Grant Review and Recommendations for SSBG, CCDF, TANF Final Report. Retrieved from https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3108838/ME-DHHS-Block-Grant-Final-Report-January-2015.pdf.

Maine Equal Justice Partners. (2017) Federal Poverty Levels: The 2017 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia. Retrieved from http://www.mejp.org/content/federal-poverty-levels.

vii Trostel, P. Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center & School of Economics, University of Maine. (2013) Path to a Better Future: The Fiscal Payoff of Investment in Early Childhood Development in Maine. Retrieved from http://melig.org/pdfs/Path_to_a_Better_Future_Full_Report.pdf.

Maine Legislature. (April 29, 2014) S.P. 577 – L.D. 1530, An Act to Establish a Process for the Implementation of Universal Voluntary Public Preschool Programs for Children 4 Years of Age. Retrieved from http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0577&item=6&snum=126.

viii

ix Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2017) KIDS COUNT Data Center. Retrieved from http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/5650-children-in-poverty-by-age-group?loc=21&loct=2#detailed/2/21/false/573,869,36,868,867/17,18,36/12263,12264.

White, Gillian B.; The Atlantic. (November 5, 2015) Why Childcare Workers Are So Poor, Even Though Childcare Costs So Much. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/childcare-workers-cant-afford-childcare/414496/.

xi Gould, Elise.; Economic Policy Institute. (November 5, 2015) Child care workers aren’t paid enough to make ends meet. Retrieved from http:// www.epi.org/publication/child-care-workers-arent-paid-enough-to-make-ends-meet/.

Child Care Services Association. (FY 2016) Child Care WAGE$ Project Statewide Final Report. Retrieved from http://www.childcareservices. org/wagesapps/StatewideFinalFY16_Full.pdf.

xii

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center. (2015) Child Care WAGE$® Overview. Retrieved from http://teachecnationalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WAGES_overview_FactSht_11_10_16.pdf.

xiii

xiv ChildCare Aware of America. (February 2017) Parents and the High Cost of Child Care: 2016. Retrieved from http://usa.childcareaware.org/ advocacy-public-policy/resources/reports-and-research/costofcare/. xv

Ibid.

xvi

Ibid.

Hamm, K. & Martin, C.; Center for American Progress. (2015) A New Vision for Child Care in the United States: A Proposed New Tax Credit to Expand High-Quality Child Care. Retrieved from https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/31111043/Hamm-Childcare-report.pdf.

xvii

xviii Stoney, L.; Early Educator Central. (2015) Financing High-Quality Center-Based Infant-Toddler Care: Options and Opportunities. Retrieved from https://earlyeducatorcentral.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/resources/Financing%20High%20Quality%20Center%20Based%20Infant%20Toddler%20Care%20Options%20and%20Opportunities.pdf. xix

Office of Child Care. (January 2017) OCC Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/fact-sheet-occ.

Maine Child Care Advisory Council. (January 2016) Report to the 127th Maine Legislature. Retrieved from http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/ec/ occhs/documents/CCDF%20REPORT.pdf. xx

Early Educator Central. (2015) Financing High-Quality Center-Based Infant-Toddler Care: Options and Opportunities. Retrieved from https:// earlyeducatorcentral.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/resources/Financing%20High%20Quality%20Center%20Based%20Infant%20Toddler%20Care%20Options%20and%20Opportunities.pdf.

xxi

xxii National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance. (November 2015) Increasing Quality in Early Care and Education Programs: Effects on Expenses and Revenues. Retrieved from https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/resource/increasing-quality-early-care-and-education-programs-effects-expenses-and-revenues.

Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center. (2016) Tax Benefit of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), Table T13-0262. Retrieved from http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?Docid=4039.

xxiii

xxv

See U.S. Census Bureau, State and County Quick Facts, Maine, available at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/23000.html.

xxvi

See IRS Tax Statistics, SOI Tax Stats, Historic Table 2, available at http://www.irs.gov/uac/SOI-Tax-Stats-Historic-Table-2.

xxvii

Ibid.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. A Call for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from https://www. naeyc.org/policy/excellence.

xxviii

xxix Vishneau, M., Cobo-Lewis, A., Howard, S., Labas, L., Armstrong, P., Downs, J., Meagher, T., Sawyer, E., & Ward, H. (2015) Quality for ME Revision Project – Final Report. Report submitted to Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Orono, ME: University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies; Portland, ME: University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service. Retrieved from http://www. maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/documents/Quality-for-ME-Revision-Project-Final-Report.pdf.

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2011) The Big Picture Planning Guide: Building Cross-Sector Professional Development Systems in Early Childhood, 3rd Ed. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Retrieved from http://npdci.fpg.unc.edu/sites/npdci.fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/NPDCI-Big-Picture-Planning-Guide-3rd-edition-7-2011_0.pdf.

xxx

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xxiv See IRS Tax Statistics, SOI Tax Stats, Historic Table 2, available at http://www.irs.gov/uac/SOI-Tax-Stats-Historic-Table-2. (In 2012, of 26,420 total claims of the federal credit in Maine, 8,090 of them were by tax filers with incomes below $50,000, while the remaining 18,330 were by tax filers with incomes over $50,000, including 6,770 claims by tax filers with incomes above $100,000.).

This project was made possible by the John T. Gorman Foundation, the Betterment Fund, the Bingham Program, the Broad Reach Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, and a generous supporter.

The Maine Womenâ€™s Policy Center was founded to improve the economic, social, and political status of women and girls in Maine through research, public policy, and leadership development. MWPC works for systemic change by organizing, training, and supporting women and girls to effectively participate in the policy-making process. mainewomenspolicycenter.org

The mission of the Maine Childrenâ€™s Alliance is to advocate for sound public policies that improve the lives of children, youth and families in Maine. mekids.org