An Act to Increase the Supply of Child Care Services Through the
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1736
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: RENY
Amends: 22 MRSA §3737

Legislative Document
No. 1736
S.P. 682
In Senate, April 22, 2025
An Act to Increase the Supply of Child Care Services Through the 
Use of Contracts
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator RENY of Lincoln.
Cosponsored by Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, GROHOSKI of Hancock, MOORE of 
Washington, TIPPING of Penobscot, Representatives: BOYER of Cape Elizabeth, FARRIN of 
Jefferson, GRAHAM of North Yarmouth.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3737, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
6.  Direct contracts with child care providers.  In order to increase the availability 
of child care in the State and to better stabilize payment practices for providers of child 
care, the office may directly contract with providers of child care to provide contracted 
child care slots to those providers in accordance with this subsection.
A.  As used in this subsection, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following 
terms have the following meanings.
(1)  "Direct contract" means a contract entered into by the office with a provider of 
child care to provide contracted child care slots.
(2)  "Office" means the Office of Child and Family Services established in section 
5308.
B.  The office shall use direct contracts to increase the availability of child care for 
children under 3 years of age, children with disabilities and children in underserved 
geographic areas.
C.  The office may use direct contracts to increase the availability of child care for 
children other than children identified in paragraph B based on priorities identified by 
the office.  Such priorities may include, but are not limited to, homeless children, 
children who are receiving services under the child welfare system, children who need 
care during nontraditional hours, children for whom English is a 2nd language and 
other regional child care needs.
D.  The office shall review regional needs assessment information to determine 
priorities for the use of direct contracts, including, but not limited to, needs assessment 
information from Head Start programs and early childhood learning and development 
resource groups.
E.  To the extent permitted by federal law, the office may use funding from any public 
or private source for the purposes of this subsection.
F.  The office shall adopt rules to implement this subsection.  Rules adopted pursuant 
to this paragraph are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and 
Family Services to enter into direct contracts with providers of child care to provide child 
care slots for children under 3 years of age, children with disabilities and children in 
underserved geographic areas.  It authorizes the office to use direct contracts to provide 
child care slots for other categories of children based on priorities identified by the office.