Bath Area Family YMCA & General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Announce Childcare Expansion Effort
September 2024 – The Bath Area Family YMCA is excited to announce a new partnership with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) to expand access to childcare for Midcoast families. This partnership will provide 150 spaces to the children of BIW employees across two YMCA centers in Bath and Brunswick.
To accommodate this significant expansion in the organization’s childcare program, the YMCA has purchased a property previously owned by Martin’s Point Health Care at 6 Farley Road in Brunswick to renovate into a state-of-the-art, 10-classroom childhood education center.
Access to childcare has become a major barrier to attracting and retaining workers for the shipyard, Maine’s largest manufacturer. The U.S. Navy has identified bolstering the nation’s shipbuilding industrial base as a national defense priority and the 2023 Defense Appropriations bill includes funding for this project and others aimed at helping to attract and retain the defense industry workforce.
“Our current and future shipbuilders need access to quality childcare that meets their work schedules,” said BIW President Charles F. Krugh. “Working with the Navy and our congressional delegation to address this critical need will support the nation’s defense and help Maine workers embark on meaningful and rewarding careers. Without our investment, this additional childcare capacity would have been much more difficult to achieve.”
The Bath Area Family YMCA is one of the few nationally accredited childcare programs in the area and has been in operation for nearly 20 years. Currently, the program operates 6 classrooms at the organization’s Bath location, providing care to 92 children ages 18 months to five years old as well as public PreK during the school year for 2 local school districts. Nearly a quarter of the children currently enrolled in the program are the children of BIW employees.
“Childcare programs like ours are a critical component of our state’s infrastructure to support working parents and our economy,” said Rob Gray, CEO of the Bath Area Family YMCA. “We’re grateful for Bath Iron Works’ investment in our Y and for enabling us to expand our capacity to offer quality childcare in the community.”
Spaces will initially be filled with eligible dependents of shipyard workers. Those not used by children of BIW employees will be made available to the community on a first-come, first-served basis. Creating additional childcare capacity should also reduce pressure on existing facilities, which routinely have to turn families away because of inadequate space, leading to long waiting lists.
A report issued by the Bipartisan Policy Center in 2023 revealed that 280 childcare centers had closed in Maine between 2020-2022, impacting rural communities in particular. This effort comes after the Bath YMCA opened three new classrooms in January, one more than initially planned to accommodate families displaced by the unexpected closure of a childcare center in Bath.
“Over the past 10 years in my work with children and families at the Bath Y, I have noticed the demand for childcare continue to grow. It is such a challenge for families to find the high-quality childcare they deserve for their children, close to work or home,” said Annie Colaluca, Executive Director of Early Learning & Family Services at the Bath YMCA. “We are proud to be expanding our services to meet this demand and provide more children the opportunity to thrive in our setting.”
Collectively the 15 YMCAs in Maine are the largest childcare provider in the state, serving children through early childhood education programs, before/afterschool programs, and summer camp. Regional YMCA leaders celebrated the announcement and pointed to this partnership as a blueprint for other YMCAs across the country.
“With a strong foothold as one of Maine’s leading childcare providers, the Bath Area Family YMCA is well-equipped to cater to the demands of parents employed at BIW and other midcoast businesses,” said Meagan Hamblett, CEO of the YMCA Alliance of Northern New England. “This collaboration sets a promising precedent for future endeavors, fostering essential childcare services in communities throughout the region.”
Renovations on the Farley Road facility are expected to begin this fall or early winter with enrollment beginning in January for a target opening of September 2025.