Alliance for Children's Care, Education, and Supporting Services -- A.C.C.E.S.S.

One of the ways in which we want to help “give a voice” to the provider community in Maine, is to make “your stories” available.  It is our belief that you hold a wealth of passion, information, and perspective about both the needs of Maine’s children and families and the benefits of our services and we want the wider world to experience this through the eyes of providers, parents, advocates, and in some cases, the children themselves.

If you have a story to tell, please forward this to stories@mainechildcare.org.  Also please indicate if you give us permission to use your name and/or title and/or program.

Bill’s Story

I have had the great privilege of having worked with and around young children and their families for nearly 35 years, and as I look back over that experience, I’m moved by how incredibly valuable that experience has been to me as a professional and more importantly, as a person.

There may be nothing more exciting or reinforcing than to work with young children and see the light come into their eyes as they learn a new idea or master a new skill. 

On the other hand, I can barely express how painful it is when you see that light go out.  When, because of forces far beyond their control, these children are exposed to forms of toxic stress (fear, hunger, pain and most insidiously the lack of good stimulation) and they lose that joy of life that really is their birthright.

I also am profoundly moved by the how much more difficult it has become to “parent” in the modern world.  The obstacles that parents face seem to become greater and greater as time goes by.  Some of these obstacles are economic (I often think that the impact of the changing American economy on the American family is THE untold story of the 20 and now the 21^st century) and some of them are social (my own parents never had to deal with the kinds of social isolations faced by modern parents.)  I have always found that parents, as a group, making the best decisions available to them, but all too often there are simply no good options to choose from.  (Employment vs. inadequate or even unsafe child care, food vs. medicine, stay with an abusive partner, or leave and face the risk of poverty,) 

Finally, I am so very impressed by how much these children and families benefit from even limited public supports. 

I will never, ever forget one experience when the program I was running was providing a “Summer Meals Site” (made possible by the Federal Child Nutrition Act.)  Every day we would bring U.S.D.A. lunches to a community center in low income housing projects, and one day a 7 year old boy looked up from his bag lunch with just the best smile in the world and proclaimed “A banana!!!!  I haven’t had a banana since my birthday!!!”  You can’t experience that without being changed.

I will also never forget the thousands of parents that have come through my office, all of whom made the “right” decisions as our current culture defines “right” (choosing to keep an un-planned child, choosing to find work rather than go on welfare, choosing to leave a abusive partner rather than staying) and because of these choices, faced barriers no young parent should have to deal with.  In so many of these cases, having access to the affordable (which usually meant subsidized) child care was frequently (and quite literally) life savings.

So, once again, looking back over the past 35 years, I have equal amounts of joy for those children and families we were able to help succeed, and pain over those we have not.  This combined joy and sorrow has lead me to dedicate the balance of time I have in my professional life to working to support the development of public systems that will insure that we get the point where we truly leave no child behind.

Bill Hager

Executive Director

Child Care Services of York County

April 18, 2010

Sharon’s Story

This  is not a story exactly but policy makers should keep in mind that (when we talk about Early Care and Education and the Child Care Food Program) we are (talking about) building children’s brains here- at a time when every day, every experience and every meal can make a difference.

As politicians discuss these issues over lunch (that the tax payers are paying for) they need to remember that (when we’re talking about the Child Care Food Program) we are talking about simple meals- peanut butter and apple sandwiches on whole grain bread, with fresh vegetables and fruits and milk; whole wheat macaroni and cheese with broccoli; english muffin pizzas.

We are not talking about two-martini lunches and steak tips. We are talking about basic healthy simple varied food that children need to maximize their abilities to take their places in society- in the medical field, political realms, law offices, schools and universities. 

Fighting for funds to feed our country’s children should not be so hard in this great nation of ours.

Sharon E. Abair MS Ed.

Education Specialist

Child Care Options

Southern Kennebec Child Development Corporations

My Story

I have always known that I would be a mom.  On a life to-do list I wrote back in college, my number one priority without question was to be a good mother.  When I learned I was pregnant with my daughter, I rejoiced and made immediate plans to move back home to Maine with my partner so that we were both close to our extended family.

I envisioned that my daughter would have many loving caregivers among our extended family, and indeed that is the case.  However, it became clear very quickly that all of these individuals needed to maintain employment, as did I.  Having stayed home with my child for the first six months of her life (and thereby accumulated debt which I still struggle to pay off) I knew I would need to return to the workforce in order to support a healthy lifestyle for my family.  This became an even greater necessity when I became a single parent.

I have been remarkably fortunate to find child care that supports my child’s developing brain architecture during her formative years of life.  She attends the Children’s Center, where she spends her day learning through play in a nurturing environment that includes children of all abilities.  She is now four years old, and she comes home each day teaching me sign language, yoga poses, and song and dance routines.  Her teachers and peers inspire her to explore and to care about others.  As a single parent, I qualify for a child care voucher to assist me with the expense of her full-time care, and this is what makes my life work. 

The Children’s Center prepares breakfast, snacks, and lunch for my child each day with careful attention to nutrition and proper portion sizes.  My child is encouraged to try new foods during family-style meals with her peers.  In addition, they partner with a local farm, so that organic locally-grown ingredients are used in the food’s preparation. 

My life now, as a single mom with an amazing daughter, is all I had hoped it would be.  My daughter is thriving, reaching developmental milestones and preparing for kindergarten, and above all, she is happy and resilient.  I am successful in my job and look forward to future opportunities to develop professionally.  None of this would be possible without excellent child care, assistance to me in accessing that child care, and high quality food program.

A Parent with a child enrolled at The Children's Center: Early Intervention and Family Support Program, Augusta Maine.

Bev’s Story

I have done Daycare for 31 years and have found the food program and funding very helpful. It has made it possible for me to serve a health meal and not one full of starch and carbs.

I feel with the obesity problem with children today that is very important. Fresh fruit and vegetables are very expensive today.

I would either have to go up on the parents or serve less fresh food, if the food program was not available.

I feel this is the only well balanced meal that some children get during the day. I notice that they really like the fresh fruit and vegetables. Some will say, we never have these at home.

I would really feel bad about serving less healthy meals and also about asking the parents to pay more at this difficult financial time.

Please consider keeping the food program available and let the daycare providers help with the obesity problem with childen. These eating habit form young.

Sincerely,

Beverly Stankevitz
Bev's Daycare

Danielle’s Story

Wee Count Day Care has a story that is a little different from the "norm"... We are a Christ centered daycare.  (However,) Most of our families that come to our center do NOT go to church. The 29 children and their families that we touch each day need a safe environment, but we give then eternal hope each day as well. We have families that are in the middle of divorce, reconciling. Drug addicts going to rehab...and that is just the parents! These children are given the knowledge that God is real, and He can give hope to anyone.

With out the daycare in Maine, we would not have a way to show God is real to the children when they are young, and we would not be able to help the families. We are a community in ourselves.