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Brunswick child care center designed to support shipyard workers in Bath

People pose in a grouping and cut a red ribbon. Photo / Courtesy General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Charles Krugh, BIW’s president, and Amy Vendt, Bath Area Family YMCA’s CEO, cut a ribbon at the new Early Learning Center in Brunswick on Tuesday, flanked by BIW shipbuilders, their children and YMCA childcare staff.
By Laurie Schreiber

Eight months after breaking ground, a child care center that opened on Tuesday in Brunswick is considered an essential piece of the puzzle in recruiting and retaining Bath Iron Works employees.

The Bath Area Family YMCA hosted a ribbon cutting at the early learning center at 6 Farley Road near Cooks Corner. The center is designed to provide 120 child care slots for the children of shipyard workers with additional availability for the broader community.

“With a top-notch center and an excellent team, BIW families will have a safe and caring place for their children to be while they are at work,” said Charles Krugh, BIW’s president.

Attending the event were representatives from Maine’s Congressional delegation and the U.S. Navy, along with YMCA staff and Bath Iron Works shipbuilders and their children.

“At the Y, we believe early childhood educators are the workforce behind the workforce,” said Amy Vendt, CEO at the Bath Area Family YMCA. “They are the ones who allow parents to participate fully in their careers, grow our economy and provide the youngest Mainers with the best possible start in life.”

The YMCA owns the property and will operate the facility, which is configured and equipped for 10 classrooms customized for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The project is a significant expansion of the Y’s childcare program. 

The $13 million childcare facility expansion is being carried out in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, which contributed half of the project’s funds, according to a news release last year.

BIW is Maine’s largest manufacturer. But access to child care has become a major barrier to attracting and retaining workers for the shipyard.

The Bath Area Family YMCA is one of the few nationally accredited child care programs in the area and has been in operation for nearly 20 years. Nearly a quarter of the children enrolled in the program are the children of BIW employees.

Collectively the 15 YMCAs in Maine are the largest child care provider in the state, with childhood education programs, before and after school programs and summer camps. 

Last month, the Bath Area Family YMCA broke ground on a six-classroom early learning center, the final phase in a multi-year expansion that will bring capacity up to 200 at its Centre Street campus, when completed by fall 2026.

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