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.
The tally announced Monday was 790-125 in favor of joining the Maine State Employees Association, part of Service Employees International Union.
But legislative action is required before those who provide home care for 17,000 children can follow through on their goal of joining a union and having a greater say in rules, regulations and training.
"Family child care, which is usually based out of the home, has not had a voice. We need a voice. We need to be strong to sit at the table," said Barbara Carlow of Hermon, who along with a helper cares for 10 children from 6 months to 12 years old.
The child care providers, all of whom receive full or partial compensation from the state, are mostly private, home-based businesses.
The goal is not to boost pay but to carry more influence in the regulatory process and to obtain better health and liability insurance, said Avril Smith, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Service Employees International Union.
So far, family child care professionals have been given the right to form unions in 10 states, but only three of them have negotiated formal contracts, she said.
In Falmouth, Melanie Collins realized that it would have been helpful to have a say after emergency rules were adopted by the state after a youngster drowned in an indoor pool at a day care center in Westbrook.
Some child care providers in homes with backyard swimming pools simply closed for the summer because it was too expensive to comply, Collins said.
It would have been a good thing to have a place in the discussions to come up with a better solution. "What they came up with was safe, but it wasn't affordable," said Collins, who has filled in a swimming pool in her backyard with sand.
Carlow agreed that having a seat at the table is important. "We need a voice to say, 'Hello, we're here. We matter,'" she said.