To the editor:
Our community depends on small businesses, but right now business owners in rural Maine are having a hard time with staffing due to the shortage of qualified workers. Jordyn Rossignol doesn’t just understand these challenges — she lives them. That is why she is running to represent us in the Maine House of Representatives.
Born and raised here in the Caribou area, Jordyn is a perfect example of a County youth who returned home after college to start a business and contribute to our region. As the owner and operator of Miss Jordyn’s Child Care and Preschool in Caribou, she knows what it is like to run a business amid workforce shortages. Her business also ensures that other parents are able to go to work.
As a healthcare worker, I understand how childcare shortages impact every part of our communities. Lack of reliable childcare contributes to lost work time and pay for employees, while placing a strain on employers and colleagues who have to brainstorm creative staffing solutions, often contributing to team burnout due to last-minute shift coverage. I have witnessed many colleagues leave their professional careers due to the childcare crisis. I also work with many who have no choice but to schedule workdays around available childcare, leaving no room for flexibility. Lack of reliable workers contributes to lack of childcare, which affects us all, whether or not we have young children.
What I admire most about Jordyn is that she won’t wait until she gets elected to start fighting and deliver for us. Thanks to Jordyn’s relentless advocacy, the Legislature has passed two laws to help expand child care in Maine and work with the community colleges to train more child care workers.
This is what we can expect from Jordyn. She is committed to giving small businesses a voice in Augusta and making workforce development a priority in the Legislature. Please join me in supporting Jordyn Rossignol on Nov. 8. She is someone we can count on to fight for Caribou, Washburn and Wade in Augusta.
Jennifer Plante
Caribou
