KENNEBUNK, Maine — Kennebunk Elementary School and the Crayon Academy day care center in Arundel were both closed late Wednesday after two students were found to have the symptoms of H1N1, or swine flu.

As the working mother of a 3−year−old, Brown said she never considered sending her son to anyplace other than The Children's Center in Sanford. Before she even needed day care for her son, Brown researched the options available to working parents in Sanford. She decided that The Children's Center's developmental programs and emphasis on learning was the best environment for her son.

Municipal day camps are enjoying a surge of interest this year as cost-conscious parents choose less expensive alternatives to overnight camps or traditional day care.

When Bridgid and Tom Hood left Indian Township, a small reservation in Northern Maine, late last year, they were moving hundreds of miles from family and friends. But Bridgid, having begun her college career at the University of Maine, wanted to finish it in USM's nursing program; Tom had his eye on the paramedicine program at Southern Maine Community College.

Child care centers that have kept waiting lists for years are now advertising to fill openings. Some centers are struggling to make ends meet, as costs rise and enrollments decline. A few have shut their doors.

In 1998, 27 schools in Maine offered pre-kindergarten programs, also known as 4-year-old programs. By 2002, 78 schools offered the program, and this year, 130 schools are operating pre-K classes. Nationally, the concept has gained acceptance with proponents leaning on the large body of evidence that shows investing in children in the first five years of life yields substantial developmental advantages.

Good early child care and parent education could save Maine money on jails, special education and substance abuse, Attorney General Steven Rowe told a group at University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College on Wednesday.

Last summer, when organizers were reaching out to home-based day cares to gather support for a new union that could represent independent child-care providers in Maine, Melanie Collins didn't need any persuading. As a former nurse, she had seen firsthand the benefits unions provide medical workers, from improving the work environment to ensuring adequate pay. "I'm very pro union," she says.

While hundreds of child care providers from all over the state were honored at the eighth annual Maine Roads to Quality reception on Saturday for improving their skills, one was selected for special recognition.

Nearly 2,200 people who care for children in their homes plan to press their case for joining a union when the Legislature reconvenes next year, following a statewide vote in favor of organizing.