AUGUSTA, Maine — As the school year approaches, working parents and guardians may be facing some challenges trying to find a place to bring their kids before or after school as staffing shortages in child care persist.
At least 24,000 unemployed Mainers last year cited the state's child care shortfall as the primary reason they're not working, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy.
“We absolutely have been in the same boat that many others have been in," Augusta's child care director, Bethany Sproul-Lebrun said. "We’re trying to find the staff who are willing to work a split schedule. [That] is what it turns out to be.”
The challenge is finding people with that type of flexibility, Sproul-Lebrun said.
The city of Portland's before and after school program needs 34 workers to meet the demand of children already enrolled, but they're short six staff members.
Portland's deputy director of parks and recreation, Angela O'Connor, said nearly 90 children are on a waitlist for the program. She said the city had already had to decrease the number of kids they could enroll because of anticipated staffing shortfalls.
“We did cut back and some of the bigger sites are getting hit harder because of the cutback," she said. "We have to be able to staff the facility and the program with the correct amount of people.”
Portland has nine "after-school" program locations and only four "before-school" sites, O'Connor said. She said in order to get kids off waitlists, they'll need to hire for the six unfilled positions they already need to meet the current need, plus even more workers.
"They're [kids are] still hoping to get in, and we're working hard to try to open up some of those spots," she said.
O'Connor said Portland is seeking high school and college students as well who are interested in child care.
If you are interested in learning more, you can contact a recruiter with the city of Portland at sgonzalez@portlandmaine.gov or 207-874-8649. You can also call 207-626-2350 to reach Augusta's child care bureau.