03/04/2025
Hello Friends!
Janet Mills's 2026-2027 budget includes about $20 million in cuts to childcare funding. As the director of the Peaks Island Children's Workshop, I know that these cuts will be devastating--statewide and here on the island.
As we all know, hiring on Peaks is exceedingly difficult for a number of reasons. Coupled with the low wages traditionally associated with early childhood education, finding and retaining staff, and paying them a wage we can stand by (and which we are ALWAYS working to improve), is one of the biggest challenges the Workshop faces.
Mills's budget proposes reducing the "Child Care Educators Supplemental Wage Program" by $15 million. This program puts money directly in the hands of my staff every month, and has for years. My employees--and I--depend on this money.
In addition, the budget calls for eliminating a new program that funds the childcare of children whose parents work at a childcare program--this is a program that we participate in and benefits all of us.
Under this proposal, Mills also intends to cut Head Start by millions. The Workshop is not a Head Start program--but all evidence conclusively points to the value of high quality early childhood education for all children, especially low-income kids.
For all of these reasons, I am asking (close to begging, honestly!) you all to please reach out to members of the Health and Human Services Committee and Senate and House Leadership to oppose these cuts.
Maine's Association for the Education of Young Children has these valuable templates with more information:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11z82oEj31T_-ZysXOv3pJJklGtSz_yWkvQhEOuLjF-A/edit?emci=fa67b566-ecf7-ef11-90cb-0022482a93b5&emdi=7caf8a8a-eff7-ef11-90cb-0022482a93b5&ceid=11108057&tab=t.0
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BuUXEvWPF8Xi_2RDpZ1HuIusgnxlcfcdjbNNpzWrnRw/edit?emci=ee3f533b-82f8-ef11-90cb-0022482a93b5&emdi=e09ad4fa-87f8-ef11-90cb-0022482a93b5&ceid=11108057&tab=t.0
https://secure.everyaction.com/iJOnwFnW60y_J3Y2WYnOFA2?emci=ee3f533b-82f8-ef11-90cb-0022482a93b5&emdi=e09ad4fa-87f8-ef11-90cb-0022482a93b5&ceid=11108057
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Warmly,
Margaret Myers
Executive Director
Peaks Island Children's Workshop
