As a grandpa to 12 wonderful grandchildren, I am kept happily busy looking after them when I’m not in Augusta. In all of their families, both parents work, and so I’ve come to truly understand why child care providers and the professional staff that are employed there are called “the workforce behind the workforce.”

When child care is available and affordable, both parents are able to work, making households more financially stable and helping build a strong Maine economy.

In 69% of families in Maine with a child under age six, all adults in the household are working, which means about 50,000 Maine children are in need of child care. Unfortunately, affordable child care can be difficult to find for too many families. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average annual cost of child care for an infant in Maine is over $12,500. Parents with two children under age 5 must expend an extraordinary percentage of their budget just to afford child care. It is for these reasons and more that child care policy is some of the most important work I do as Senate chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.

Some important child care bills have passed our committee recently, and as I write this, they are on their way to the full Senate and House for votes. My bill, “An Act to Improve Access to Child Care and Early Childhood Education by Establishing Regional Resource Hubs,” is one of them. It would create two child care resource and referral service centers in different parts of the state that cater to the needs of families, educators, child care providers, and the business community. The hubs would establish and coordinate community and business partnerships, connect families to resources to help parents navigate and determine eligibility for existing child care programs, and gather child care data in their region in order to measure need and improve supply.

The hubs will play a vital role in connecting families with care, assessing local needs, improving service delivery, and help address child care deserts across the state. Currently, Maine is one of only a few states that do not offer these incredibly helpful resource hubs that help communities meet their local needs..

But improving access to child care requires action on multiple fronts. That’s why our committee has advanced more legislation to build on Maine’s recent efforts to lower costs for families, workers and providers. We voted unanimously for a bill from Senate President Mattie Daughtry that would continue our work to ensure child care workers earn a sustainable paycheck, help eligible families pay for care and support providers who need care for their own kids.

We also voted for a proposal from Speaker Ryan Fecteau that would make it easier for communities to open up child care facilities, and another from Sen. Cameron Reny that would help children with disabilities and those in rural areas access child care slots. Together, the bills offer a powerful, coordinated response to Maine’s child care crisis. They build supply, improve access, invest in our workforce and support families.

It’s clear to me that a healthy, vibrant economy in Maine depends on affordable, quality child care. As I wind down a busy session in Augusta, I will be putting my energy into trying to make sure these child care bills receive funding. The return on investment is unparalleled.

If you have any questions about the information here or if you would like to reach out with a comment, question or concern, you can reach out to me anytime.

Henry Ingwersen represents Senate District 32 which is made up of Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Hollis and Lyman. He can be reached at Henry.Ingwersen@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515.