Early Care
High-quality childhood care and education helps youth thrive in school and beyond.
Early care provides young children with experiences that support school readiness and nurture their cognitive, social, and emotional growth so they can reach their full potential in school and in life. It also strengthens the workforce and local economy by allowing parents to work, build a career, and pay their bills.
However, it can be difficult for families to participate in quality early care and education programs. Child care costs can be a major barrier. In Biddeford, the average cost for childcare is $12,000 – more than the cost of the annual in-state tuition for University of Southern Maine School of Law.
High-quality programs in Biddeford are also scarce, and have grown scarcer with some closings of programs due to COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, only 3 of the 20 licensed programs in Biddeford have a Step 4 (highest quality) rating on the Quality for ME ratings scale. Most of the available childcare slots in Biddeford are at Step 1 providers (47%). This is due, in part, to the costs and processes required for early care providers to obtain the higher ratings.
Less than half of Biddeford children under age 5 are connected to an early childcare or education provider.
To help support high-quality childcare programs in Biddeford, Maine Roads to Quality, the state-wide Early Care and Education Professional Development Network, is a Biddeford Ready! network partner. Maine Roads to Quality is providing technical assistance and financial incentives to early care and education providers who wish to move up on the quality ratings scale.
Contact us if you are a child care provider who would like more information about opportunities provided by Maine Roads to Quality.