Another big Maine employer is opening a child care facility

Bath Iron Works is working with the local YMCA to open a new child care facility for the kids of its workers, in an ongoing effort to recruit and retain staff in a part of Maine that’s become increasingly unaffordable.

The facility will be located in a former medical facility near the Cooks Corner section of Brunswick and will include 120 slots for the dependents of BIW workers, according to a press release. The Bath Area Family YMCA will also open 30 slots at its child care center for dependents of BIW workers as well.

The initiative is part of a larger trend of Maine employers starting to create their own child care facilities in response to worker shortages, with The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor recently taking a similar approach in Bar Harbor.

The announcement comes after BIW was recently awarded $34 million for workforce development through a defense appropriations bill, which is also helping to fund housing, transportation and training opportunities for the Maine-based warship manufacturer.

“Our current and future shipbuilders need access to quality child care 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 child care capacity would have been much more difficult to achieve.”

The new BIW facility will be operated by the YMCA and redeveloped with 10 classrooms for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, the groups said. Any of the combined 150 slots that are not filled by BIW families will be opened to the general public.

The opening of the facility should also take pressure off of other child care facilities in the area which have long waiting lists, according to BIW.

“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, in the release. “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.”