Maine Business Leaders Share How Child Care Challenges Negatively Impact Their Workforce

Recently, ReadyNation organized a panel of business leaders to speak to the Maine Children’s Caucus in Augusta. The business leaders shared how child care challenges are negatively impacting their workforces, and thus their businesses. They said that the lack of affordable and accessible child care hurt both their recruiting and retention of needed employees.

ReadyNation member Dana Connors, President and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, kicked off the business leader panel by telling Maine legislators that the lack of child care is one of the biggest workforce challenges he hears from the business community.

ReadyNation member Jim Clair, CEO of the Clair Group of Companies, talked about founding the Maine Early Learning Invest Group and the importance of high-quality early learning.

ReadyNation member LuAnn Ballesteros, Vice President at The Jackson Laboratory, shared with legislators that child care is such a workforce challenge that JAX is building an on-site child care facility that will be operated by a local child care program.

Brian King, Maine Market President of Bank of America, said that during the pandemic his company created a program to help employees pay for child care. In Maine, that program pays $275 a month towards BOA employees’ child care costs, and includes provisions to help cover costs when unexpected child care needs arise, such as when a child care provider is out sick.