HOULTON, Maine — After working for a Houlton day care center that closed last month, sisters-in-law Barbie and Monica Jones decided to open their own.
“When they closed we knew we had to do something. It tore us up one side and down the other knowing all these parents were being left with nothing,” Monica Jones said. “They need to work so they can provide for their families and if they don’t go to work they will lose their jobs.”
The two women opened Kids Korner Childcare on Main Street in Houlton in February and already are nearly full. The center is Maine Department of Health and Human Services licensed for 12 children, six weeks to five years old, and already they have 11 children enrolled and have started a waiting list, especially for infants and toddlers.
Both women said that situations change for a variety of reasons and they encourage prospective parents to give them a call regarding openings.
In the past year it has been especially difficult for the region’s working families because several Aroostook County child care centers have closed including two in Houlton and Miss Jordyn’s Child Development Center in Caribou that cared for 100 children.
Dwindling child care opportunities could force child poverty numbers to grow beyond the County’s 16 percent as more local centers close due to financial constraints, leaving parents with few remaining options.
Barbie and Monica worked for the former Little Hands Learning Center, licensed for 41. In its short life — opened in December 2023 and closed in January 2024 — the burdens were financial, the women said.
“When you don’t get paid by the state, finances are a struggle,” Monica said.
She explained that Kids Korner Childcare takes state subsidies, given to working parents who cannot afford a portion of or all day care expenses. And while Kids Korner Childcare is currently holding its own, three weeks in, they have yet to be paid for the children enrolled at the center.
Monica Jones said they are better able to keep going because they are a smaller center, their overhead is low and before they opened they both babysat for children.
They would eventually like to grow to accept about 20 children, but want to take things slow to keep their doors open.
In addition to not getting paid quickly, Maine day care centers that take state subsidies are not reimbursed when a child is absent.
Under the current system, DHHS reimburses providers based on the child’s attendance, yet private-pay clients must pay for a complete week even when kids miss several days.
Providers accepting subsidies are not reimbursed when children are sick or have to miss a day of care.
Whether children attend or not, staff must still be paid, expenses remain the same and the provider cannot fill the spot with another child.
Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, recently introduced legislation, LD 2199, that would require the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse providers that accept subsidies based on enrollment and not attendance.
In a hearing last week before the Legislature’s health committee, Jackson said that this change would better reflect the cost of care and align with generally accepted private pay practices within child care.
“Most for profit providers have margins of less than one percent and as a result, that loss in income can mean the difference between staying open and shutting down for good,” he said.
Monica is the lead teacher and offers a Montessori-based curriculum designed to
promote intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development, she said.
The center is open weekdays from 6:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and breakfast, lunch and snack are provided. The two women are also considering occasional evening hours for an additional fee to allow parents to run child-free errands or date nights.
“When Little Hands closed Monica and I just started talking, parents relied on them and there are not enough day cares out there,” Barbie said. “We want to give parents a place to take their children and feel comfortable. We’re already successful three weeks in.”
