Jackson Lab seeks new operator for on-site child care center in Bar Harbor

An exterior view of a building shows its entryway with a bike.

File photo / Courtesy Jackson Laboratory Jackson Lab opened the $4.5 million on-site child care center in January 2024.

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Less than two years after opening an on-site child care center at Jackson Laboratory's Bar Harbor campus, a contract operator said this week it plans to close the center at the end of the year.

Jackson Lab quickly stepped in, saying it will initiate a process to find a new operator for the center.

“The Jackson Laboratory acknowledges the decision by the Down East Family YMCA board of directors to close the Island of Imagination Early Learning Center at the end of the year,” the lab said in a statement sent to Mainebiz.

Recruitment tool

The lab opened the $4.5 million on-site child care center in January 2024, with the Ellsworth-based Down East Family YMCA, or DEFY, as the operator.

The lab has said it viewed the 6,800-square-foot facility, which broke ground in October 2022, as an important draw for employees and would also accommodate members of the community. More than 20 children were enrolled at its opening. At full capacity, the center was designed to increase the number of licensed child care spots on Mount Desert Island by more than 30%, from 162 to 212.

Broader challenges

“Since opening in 2024, the center has provided valuable child care and early education services to families on Mount Desert Island through a collaboration between JAX and DEFY,” the lab said this week.

The lab said the outcome reflects broader challenges facing child care providers nationwide.

“Across the country, centers are navigating a difficult environment shaped by rising operational costs, staffing shortages and the expiration of federal and state relief funding,” the lab said. “Despite efforts by DEFY to address these challenges, including expanded recruitment and operational adjustments, continuing operations proved unsustainable.”

JAX said it is committed to supporting families during the transition and will initiate a process to identify a new operator for the center.

“DEFY has already coordinated with child care providers across the region to ensure that all affected families have access to alternative care options,” the lab said.

Jackson Laboratory, on Route 3 on the outskirts of Bar Harbor’s downtown and adjacent to Acadia National Park, is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and nearly 3,000 employees in Maine, Connecticut, California and Japan, as well as a joint venture in China.