As any working class parent can tell you, finding and paying child care is a serious struggle. Many Mainers sign up to be put on waiting lists for child care as soon as they learn they become pregnant, only to continue to wait for months or even years after the child is born for a slot. New parents cut back on work hours to part-time, rely on relatives for child care or drop out of the labor force all together because they can’t find quality child care.
We'd like to hear from you — have you or someone you know struggled to find childcare, struggled to pay for care, or faced other challenges?
Click here to fill out our short childcare survey
It doesn't have to be this way. There are real policy steps that Maine can take to lessen this burden on working families. The Maine AFL-CIO Executive Board recently endorsed proposed legislation to make childcare more affordable, improve wages for childcare workers, and create more quality childcare spots for Maine children. To help pass this bill, we want to bring forward the stories of our members and other working families who urgently need real change.
If you don't have children, but you know someone who has been impacted by this, please share this survey link with them.