TUESDAY! #Maine!
Maine child care workers to strike Tuesday over proposed cuts to state stipend
At least 200 child care workers are planning to leave work and head to #AugustaME to protest proposed cuts to a stipend program they say has been critical to stabilizing the industry.
by Riley Board, March 3, 2025
"Child care workers in Maine are planning to strike Tuesday morning to show their opposition to proposed budget cuts targeting a state stipend program that day care operators say has allowed the industry to stabilize.
"As of Monday afternoon, as many as 200 early childhood education workers were planning to participate, and at least 15 child care centers from Saco to Oxford said they would close for at least part of the day. The workers will gather in the State House rotunda at 8:30 a.m.
"The stipend was created in 2021 and provided an extra $200 a month to all child care workers. It has grown since then into a tiered system that provides between $240 and $540 a month based on education and experience. Day care operators say it has allowed them to raise starting wages for teachers and work toward full staffing.
"Gov. Janet Mills proposed cutting that program in half in her biennial budget this year after warning last year that expansions couldn’t be sustained. She has proposed returning to the 2022 level of funding, as well as eliminating a newer $2.5 million program that covers child care tuition for people who work in the industry.
"The Legislature’s Appropriations and Finance Committee last week heard and read testimony overwhelmingly in opposition to the cuts. The Health and Human Services Committee is set to vote on them Wednesday.
[...]
"Day care centers in Portland, Gorham, Brunswick, Scarborough, Saco, Cape Elizabeth and Oxford all plan to close for at least part of the day for the strike, Marden said.
"Hannah Marshal, program director for Windham-Raymond School Age Child Care in Windham, said the center won’t open until the afternoon so that 11 staff members can travel to Augusta and participate in the rally."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/zQ8A3
#MaineProtest #ChildcareWorkers #Strike #March4
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