State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Maine

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Maine could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $45,775 (250 percent of poverty, 81 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Maine had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $121 per month, or 8 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $227 per month, or 10 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Maine’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were at the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Maine paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Cumberland County at the highest quality tier was 10 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Cumberland County at the highest quality tier was above the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: Maine allows parents to continue receiving child care for up to 20 hours per week for 8 weeks while searching for a job. However, Maine did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.