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This 1991 study, “Hard Choices: Work and Child Care in Western Maine,” by Linda A. Wilcox of Coastal Enterprises, Inc., examines the challenges and characteristics of child care in rural Western Maine, specifically focusing on the Dixfield area. The study highlights that, despite growing awareness of child care’s importance, rural families’ needs are often overlooked. It notes the increasing participation of mothers with young children in the workforce due to economic necessity, rising divorce rates, and fewer available extended family members for child care. Key findings include:
- Prevalence of Unregulated Care: Approximately three-quarters of child care in rural Western Maine is unregulated, primarily family day care and relative care.
- Parental Preferences: Parents overwhelmingly prioritize knowing and trusting their providers, sharing similar values regarding discipline and child-rearing, and ensuring their children receive adequate attention and affection. State regulation and religious affiliation are less important factors.
- Provider Characteristics: Dixfield-area providers are diverse, ranging from those caring for relatives to those viewing child care as a business. Many started providing care to stay home with their own children or as a favor to friends. While most are not formally trained, the study found no direct correlation between formal training or regulatory status and the quality or structure of their programs.
- Economic Challenges: Child care providers earn very low wages, often below the minimum wage, as parents bear almost the entire cost of care. Providers are reluctant to charge more due to parents’ limited ability to pay. Subsidies are scarce, and the child care tax credit is underutilized, partly due to providers’ reluctance to report income.
- Supply and Demand: There is a significant shortage of suitable and affordable child care, making it difficult for working families to find care. Provider turnover is high, contributing to this shortage.
- Recommendations: The study recommends creating a comprehensive family day care support network (including in-home services and strengthening advocacy groups), providing child care subsidies for all low-income working families, offering financial and technical assistance to upgrade programs, providing easily accessible basic education about child care regulation, and resolving discrepancies between licensing and registration requirements.
