Today in Maine, the majority of families with young children need all adults in the household to work in order to make ends meet. If we want strong communities and a healthy workforce, we have to support Maine families – and that means removing barriers to quality early care and education.

I am very excited because there are real solutions to these issues, based on experiences in other states and right here in Maine. We have a great opportunity this spring to build on what we have learned from current excellent Maine programs, including a pilot program in Somerset County, and take these best practices to other communities across the state, helping to support more Maine children and families.

Shortly, the Maine Legislature will have a public hearing on LD 1760, which aims to implement a community-based approach to improving access to quality early care and education. The bill helps individual communities increase access for children to attend high quality, full-day learning centers and family child care homes. It also improves positive parent-child relationships and families’ financial stability and, finally, it supports our current early care workforce with coaching and higher pay so they can continue to develop skills that help meet the needs of all Maine children.

I strongly urge parents, business leaders who rely on current workers and a vibrant future workforce, and legislators to strongly support this bill. These investments are critical for Maine’s short- and long-term prosperity.

Peter Lindsay
North Yarmouth