Child‑care advocates press Legislature to make $15M CCAP funding ongoing to clear wait lists and stabilize providers

Child‑care operators, policy advocates and union leaders urged the Appropriations and HHS committees to include ongoing funding for the Child Care Affordability Program (CCAP). Witnesses repeatedly cited a $15 million recurring figure to clear the CCAP wait list (testimony gave various numbers: roughly 1,000 families/waitlist children were cited) and to make the CCAP Educator Salary Supplement and the Childcare Employment Award permanent.

Heather Martin of the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children described the child‑development rationale: "90% of a child's brain development happens before age 5," and said continuity of care and predictable funding are critical. Business and workforce witnesses (CEI, Maine AFL‑CIO, Coastal Enterprises) argued that lack of affordable child care suppresses labor force participation, raises employer costs, and disproportionately affects rural communities. Speakers noted Maine serves only about 7% of eligible children under current funding, well below national averages cited in testimony.

Lawmakers asked for data on how the $15 million figure was calculated and for program‑level details: the number of eligible families, the current wait‑list count, and the program's fiscal mechanics. Advocates pointed to LD1955 and other pending bills as vehicles to secure ongoing CCAP funding and asked the committee to pursue revenue options to finance the program.

Next steps: the committee requested additional written testimony and data from DHHS and advocates to quantify the wait list, the number of children and families CCAP would immediately move off waiting lists, and the projected fiscal implication of the recurring appropriation.