Maine child care provider: “I feel so unsure of the future of my center”

This is the story of Mary Hussey, owner and director of a daycare in Maine.

I have been the Owner and Director of Foothill Farm Daycare in York County for 32 years. My center typically has a waiting list of anywhere from 6 months to a year or year and a half. We have been at capacity for many years.

We closed on April 1 and re-opened on May 18 because many parents were pushing us to open. The same parents who pushed so hard for me to re-open have now all gotten cold feet on returning. I am licensed for 30 children, but my busiest day has been 14 kiddos. 4 of the children belong to my staff, whom I give a significant discount to care for.

We are finding that families are feeling very indecisive. They all want a guarantee for their children’s space upon return but don’t want to commit financially. I am reluctant to call children up from the wait list because I don’t know the precautions the new families are taking–and I am seeing first hand that not all of the parents are honest with me about the guidelines I put in place. My husband has a lung disease and is very high-risk, so I have asked all families to follow the CDC recommended guidelines. Yet I’ve seen social media posts with families that are enrolled currently at large pool parties!

I feel so unsure of the future of my center. Although I did receive a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), it will soon run out. I am at 33% capacity, which is just not good…at all. The forgiveness for the PPP loan is a nightmare, but becoming deeper in debt was not a goal of mine either. At this point, I am not sure I can commit to keeping my doors open beyond July without additional funds. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies are also challenging to keep up with!