Commentary: What makes high-quality child care, and why is it so important right now? A central Maine program that models best early education practices has proven outcomes for our youngest children, their families and the workforce. By Jim ClairSpecial to the Press Herald Share There has been a great deal of news and editorial coverage of Maine’s child care crisis during this past year. And for good reason: the business community has learned many hard lessons during the pandemic. One of those lessons is that without reliable child care, parents can’t work. That makes helping fix parents’ barriers to high-quality child care a priority issue for business leaders. We all understand that. What’s less understood is what we mean by “quality” child care and why it matters so much.