Leaders need to solve the day care crisis before it’s too late

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Recently, a town hall meeting was held at the Caribou Recreation Center. For nearly 90 minutes, community members heard from local day care providers the chilling details of a system on the verge of collapse. Unbeknownst to most of us, we have a day care crisis. Just as the economy around us begins to recover from the pandemic, day care centers and home day care providers are at risk of closing.

The reasons cited were many: low ages that force qualified workers to seek other employment; child care subsidies based on tuition, rather than the real cost of providing quality care; and frequently changing day care regulations imposed by the state that few, if any, of our homes would pass. Cumulatively, these factors are causing day cares to close at an alarming rate, and leaving the remaining providers hanging on by a thread. Left unchecked, this crisis will affect businesses and institutions in profound and negative ways.

Imagine any of the following: Hospitals and nursing homes understaffed, compromising the quality of care offered the ill and aging; teachers and school employees missing work days on end; businesses forced to reduce hours because of a shortage of workers; and the inability to attract and retain quality employees.