Daycare in Maine.

A short, honest guide to Maine daycare.

Maine has one of the most stretched daycare markets in the Northeast. Licensed center seats are concentrated in Greater Portland, Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn, and the Midcoast; many rural Maine towns have only a few licensed family child care homes within driving distance. Costs in Greater Portland approach Boston-area pricing, while Aroostook County and Downeast remain meaningfully more affordable where seats are available. Maine's Public Pre-K Expansion has rolled out steadily through the Department of Education and now operates in the large majority of school districts.

Public Pre-K Expansion

Maine's Public Pre-K program is administered through the Maine Department of Education and operates in more than 240 of the state's 260 school districts. Programs are free for four-year-olds, generally run a half-day school-year schedule, and may be offered in district classrooms or through partnerships with approved community-based providers. Federal Head Start funds additional free seats statewide for income-eligible families. Read our Maine Pre-K options walkthrough.

Quality for ME

Quality for ME is Maine's voluntary four-step Quality Rating and Improvement System, administered by OCFS in partnership with Maine Roads to Quality. Programs earn one through four steps based on staff qualifications, learning environment, family engagement, and program management. Higher Quality for ME steps represent meaningful investment above licensing minimums. Filter our directory by Quality for ME step.

Maine licensing and ratios

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) licenses every legal child care center, nursery school, and family child care home under the Maine Child Care Rules. Center ratios are 1:4 for infants, 1:5 for toddlers (ages one to two-and-a-half), 1:8 for ages two-and-a-half to five, and 1:13 for school-age care. Family child care homes follow separate group-size rules. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked against the OCFS licensing database monthly.

Financial help in Maine

Maine's Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP), administered through OCFS, subsidizes care for working families up to a state-set income threshold using federal CCDF and state funding. Maine has expanded CCSP eligibility and provider reimbursement in recent years. The state Child Care Affordability Program offers additional support for many working families above traditional subsidy thresholds. Public Pre-K is free statewide. Federal Head Start and Early Head Start fund additional free seats. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, Maine's Dependent Exemption Tax Credit, and a Dependent Care FSA if offered through work. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math.

Where Maine parents tend to overpay

• Defaulting to a downtown Portland or Bayside center when a Step Three or Step Four Quality for ME program in South Portland, Westbrook, or Falmouth runs $150 to $300 less per month for the same care.
• Paying private preschool tuition for a four-year-old without enrolling in their local district's free Public Pre-K seat, which is now available in the vast majority of Maine school districts.
• Skipping the Child Care Subsidy and Child Care Affordability applications; recent Maine expansions have raised the income ceiling and reduced co-pays for many working families.

Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list.