An Act To Provide Stable Funding and Support for Child Care Providers
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1012
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: MILLETT, GATTINE, BREEN, DUNPHY, PIERCE
Amends: 22 MRSA §3731, 22 MRSA §3737

Legislative Document
No. 1012
S.P. 291
In Senate, February 26, 2019
An Act To Provide Stable Funding and Support for Child Care 
Providers
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator MILLETT of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook and
Senator: BREEN of Cumberland, Representatives: DUNPHY of Old Town, PIERCE of 
Falmouth.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3731, sub-§§1-A, 2-B and 5 are enacted to read:
1-A.  Continuity of care.  "Continuity of care" means programming and policies that 
ensure children and families are consistently engaged in high-quality early learning 
experiences through stable relationships with providers of child care services who are 
sensitive and responsive to children's signals and needs.
2-B.  Infant.  "Infant" means a child 6 weeks of age to under 13 months of age.
5.  Toddler.  "Toddler" means a child 13 months of age to 36 months of age.
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §3737, sub-§3-A is enacted to read:
3-A.  Graduated quality differential rates.  The graduated quality differential rates 
that the department is required to pay for child care services under subsection 3 include:
A.  Fifteen percent for step 2 child care services other than for infants or 25% for step 
child care services for infants;
B.  Twenty percent for step 3 child care services other than for infants or 30% for 
step 3 child care services for infants; and
C.  Twenty-five percent for step 4 child care services other than for infants or 35% 
for step 4 child care services for infants.
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §3737, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 412, §1, is amended 
to read:
4.  Child care rates.  The department shall establish payment rates for child care 
services that are up to the 75th percentile of local market rates for the various categories 
of child care services.  The payment rates for child care services for children with special 
needs and infants may be higher than the 75th percentile of local market rates.
Sec. 4.  22 MRSA §3737, sub-§§5 and 6 are enacted to read:
5.  Use of contract to improve supply of care for infants, toddlers and preschool 
children.  The department shall distribute child care funds through contracts with 
providers of child care services at step 3 and step 4 under subsection 3 to increase the 
availability of care for infants, toddlers and preschool children up to 4 years of age.  The 
contracts must prioritize continuity of care and stable settings for infants, toddlers and 
preschool children up to 4 years of age but may support children in another age group.  
To qualify for a contract, a provider of child care services under this subsection must 
have appropriate training in child development, child trauma, adverse childhood 
experience, child protective services and working with children with disabilities. The 
department shall ensure that contracts are granted to providers of child care services 
under this subsection that prioritize the following at-risk populations:
A.  Infants, toddlers and preschool children up to 4 years of age receiving or who 
have received child protective services;
B.  Infants with disabilities or those referred by the Child Development Services 
System as defined in Title 20-A, section 7001, subsection 1-A;
C.  Infants whose parents are participating in a substance use disorder treatment 
program;
D.  Infants whose parents are or have been homeless in the preceding 6 months; and
E.  Infants in geographic areas of the State where parents have few opportunities to 
secure high-quality infant care.
6.  Shared services.  The department shall create a program to support providers of 
child care services in sharing administrative and program services and costs to make the 
providers more efficient and financially sustainable and to improve the providers' ability 
to deliver high-quality child care services.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the child care services provisions in the following ways:
1.  It establishes graduated quality differential rates for steps 2 to 4 in the 4-step child 
care quality rating system currently required by law;
2.  It requires that contracts with providers of child care services prioritize infants, 
toddlers and preschool children up to 4 years of age in a variety of ways; and
3.  It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a shared 
services program for providers of child care services to realize efficiencies and achieve 
financial sustainability by sharing administrative and program services and costs.