BRUNSWICK, Maine — The Bath Area YMCA is teaming up with Bath Iron Works to address a major challenge faced by Maine's workforce: child care.
The partnership is described as a "first of its kind." According to YMCA CEO Rob Gray, the YMCA has never teamed up with a national defense contractor before.
The organizations are collaborating to build a new child care facility in Brunswick, aimed at supporting BIW employees and their families.
The groundbreaking moment Monday was marked in cement, literally, as children pressed their hands into the wet paste, which will be on display at a bicycle rack outside the future facility. The symbolic display will serve as a reminder of the “helping hand” families will receive when the center opens its doors
For parents like Brandon Glazier and his wife, Sarah, finding care for their daughter, Emily, has been a constant struggle. The couple both work full time at BIW, making their day-to-day quite the juggling act.
"Emily was born during the pandemic, so we were unfortunate, in that we didn't have any viable way to get her child care," Glazier said.
Their experience is shared by many across the state and nationwide. Many BIW workers face the daily stress of balancing essential jobs with the challenge of finding dependable child care, especially after the pandemic, when hundreds of child care centers to closed.
BIW President Charles Krugh said their workforce was deeply impacted, ultimately driving it to invest in this solution.
“We are not just building ships,” Krugh added. “We are sustaining families and, more importantly, building shipbuilders for the future.”
Construction is underway on the new child care center, which will open 120 spots specifically for BIW families. The facility is expected to be completed by September 2025, providing much-needed relief for parents working in one of Maine’s most critical industries.
“Making life just a little bit easier for our shipbuilders to perform their work ... ultimately helps our national security,” Krugh said.
Ellen McIver, who works at BIW, said she doesn't need to wait until September to know how the new facility will be a game-changer. Reflecting on her own experiences, McIver said if an option like this had existed earlier, it would have greatly reduced her stress during pregnancy.
McIver is an ambitious woman but feared becoming a parent would force her to choose between her career goals and her child's growth and development.
“Having this be one less thing to worry about means employees can really concentrate on their jobs and not have to worry about, ‘Is my kid safe? Are they well taken care of?’” she said.
Parents and workers alike expressed gratitude for the new resource, as well as hope this becomes the new model for businesses working to provide their employees with a future where they can set themselves and their children up for success at the same time.