Childcare can be hard to come by in Bangor, and the waitlist is already filling up for a new childcare center with 16 classrooms and space for more than 200 kids.
The Bright Beginnings Child Development Center at 16 Hillside Ave., near the Broadway Hannaford, celebrated its grand opening last month after years of work. The large facility merges three that were run by the social services agency Penquis in leased spaces around the city, now all under one roof with greater capacity.
High demand for spots in the center’s classrooms highlights the need for more childcare options in Bangor, especially for lower income families. Head Start programs, which are federally funded and free for families that qualify based on income, are housed within the Penquis facility in addition to full-day childcare offered at Maine’s market rate.
The center has been opened in phases over the past year, with four classrooms yet to be opened. As of last week, 105 children were enrolled, with more set to start this month, according to Mary Kay Hallett, the Head Start director at Penquis.
The facility includes pre-school classrooms for children ages three to five, as well as smaller classes for infants and toddlers six weeks and older. Families can choose to send their children to Head Start programs lasting from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or opt for full-day childcare from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
There is a waitlist for both age groups, and “those applications are being followed up on daily,” Hallett said.
So far, the center has seen especially high demand for the infant and toddler classrooms, which are capped at eight children, Bright Beginnings program director Vivian Perreault said on a recent tour of the building.
The facility is licensed for a maximum capacity of 208.
All 16 classrooms have their own exits to a dedicated outdoor space and their own bathrooms. There are also two large recreation rooms at either end of the building that can be used during winter weather, and a full kitchen where staff prepare fresh food daily. Bright Beginnings has upwards of 40 employees, Perreault estimated.
The building combines services that were previously offered on Davis Road and Venture Way, and at a facility on the Eastern Maine Community College campus. Those centers were phased into the new building gradually, with the Davis Road program moving in most recently in August, according to Hallett.
The new childcare center was intentionally placed near a bus route, Perreault said. The consolidation also adds flexibility for staff and reduces costs as Penquis has faced significant rent hikes at its leased spaces.
Bangor was one of three Head Start centers in the country to be awarded federal funding for a new facility, according to Penquis. The organization raised nearly $1 million in matching funds to finish the new building. The Bangor Daily News was among those who donated to the project.
“This building demonstrates what can happen when a community comes together around children and families,” Kara Hay, president and CEO of Penquis, said. “The generosity and belief shown by so many individuals, businesses, foundations, and partners made this project possible. Bright Beginnings will have an impact not only on the children who learn here today, but on generations of families to come.”
Funds for the project included a $1.5 million grant allocated from the city’s pandemic relief money in 2023, with city memos at the time emphasizing that it represented an investment in healthy childhood environments and affordable childcare.