ELLSWORTH, Maine — How are parents supposed to work and make a living if they can't find reliable child care?
That's a question working parents across the country and in Maine are asking as day cares and other child care services have few, if any, openings and long wait lists, while some are struggling just to keep their doors open.
"I get calls and emails, probably 10 to 15 a day, asking for spots," Renee Hayward, owner of Sweet Beginnings Infant and Toddler Center in Ellsworth, said.
Unfortunately, for many parents, the wait for an opening is more than two years.
"It breaks my heart really," Hayward said. "Seeing all these kids with no place to go and seeing families not being able to work. I can't imagine the stress it's causing them."
While there are several day care centers in Ellsworth, some families turn to the Downeast Community Partners (DCP) for day care and early childhood education.
The center originally had six classrooms open: three for infants and toddlers and an additional three for preschoolers. However, there will be just one classroom remaining next month. DCP's Director of Early Childhood Programs, Melissa Mattes, said there will only be one infant and toddler class come Feb. 17.
"Can you imagine? Like you have a job and you're providing for your family and your child is going to child care then all of the sudden that support is gone," Mattes said.
The classroom closings stem from staffing shortages, according to Mattes, who said it's been difficult to find qualified applicants or new hires who fit well with the job. She said early childhood is an undervalued field.
"It's not an easy job," Mattes said, but it's a "really rewarding job."
Mattes explained that consistent child care, a stable environment, and routines are essential for a young child's development. But without reliable child care, it's tough for families to find that stability.
"If someone asks me, 'Where else can I send them?' ... Everyone has a waiting list, and it's usually two years long," Hayward said.
Mattes said DCP in Ellsworth is planning to reopen one classroom at a time as soon as it hires adequate staffing.