What is quality child care, and why does it matter?
High quality child care provides emotional and academic support for parents and young children at an affordable cost. Raising children is an extremely difficult task, one that shouldn't be left solely to parental effort, time, and care. Every person–no matter their racial, gender, and sexual identity, socio-economic status, or marital status–has the right to raise their child under the best care available. In order to justly accommodate this right, we believe everyone should have adequate access to high quality child care and other parenting aids or services. No parent should be forced to make the choice between taking care of their child and going to work, or taking care of themselves. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and child care services ensure that every parent is provided with supportive community to support their child.
What can child care look like?
Child care can be offered through a variety of services, including:
Daycare and preschools
Early childhood education
Youth extracurricular programs including sports teams, art and music classes, summer camp, etc.
Babysitters or other forms of at-home assistance
Affordable early childhood health care, including access to a pediatrician and other medical services or supplies
How to access child care services at Bates:
Unfortunately, Bates College does not offer any child care services through the institution directly, but does provide information and resources about child care options in the Lewiston/Auburn area through Bates Health Services for students, and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for faculty and staff.
Student Options:
Current Bates students are eligible to schedule appointments with the health center Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00 pm to speak with either the sexual health service team or women's health team who can help connect them to child care services in the area.
Faculty Options:
Bates faculty and staff have access to Bate's Employee Assistance Program, connected to the Aetna Resources for Living website which offers confidential and professional assistance to employees, dependents (children, etc.) and/or significant others at no additional cost. Through EAP, Bates staff can access assistance with a variety of personal issues related to parenting, including:
Depression
Stress and anxiety
Marital and family conflicts
Grief and loss
Substance abuse
Child and elder care referral services
Aetna Resources may be accessed either by:
Calling 1-888-238-6232, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week
Programs provided: early childhood education, free nutritious meals, health service, social service, services for children with special needs, parent and family involvement, and literacy and language development. All services offered for children age 3-5.
For more info, or to register your child, call (207) 795-4040.
Legal Resources and Information: Know how the law addresses childcare in Maine and your home state!
Legal policies and services by U.S. State: The following link (provided by Child Care Aware America) leads to information about what types of child care services are available (and at what cost, under which conditions, etc.) based on state. CCAA 2018 Fact Sheet