Currently, public Pre-K in Maine is not universally available for all 4-year-olds. While the cognitive and social-emotional benefits of high-quality Pre-K are well documented, there are a variety of factors that contribute to the ability of School Administrative Units (SAUs) to offer public Pre-K and the extent to which they are able to enroll all eligible and interested 4-year-olds.
As part of the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, Governor Mills allocated $10 million of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds appropriated for Maine for public pre-k infrastructure to increase the number of 4-year-olds enrolled in public pre-k across the state.
Maine SAUs interested in starting or expanding public pre-k are encouraged to apply for funding to support expansion through the Pre-K Expansion Request for Applications (RFA). SAUs will be able to use the funding, in combination with Essential Programs and Services allocations, to start new pre-k programs and/or expand existing programs from part-day/part-week to full-day/full-week programs.
A timeline for the RFA process is provided below.
- September 24, 2021–RFA released
- October 7,2021–Informational session for interested parties, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
- October 15, 2021-RFA question submittal deadline
- October 21, 2021—RFA answers to questions posted publicly
- November 4, 2021—RFA submission deadline
- November 15-17, 2021—RFA scoring
An informational meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, October 7 from 3-5pm. Those wishing to learn more about the Pre-K Expansion RFA and ask questions can attend through this link. This meeting will be recorded and made available on our Early Childhood Professional Learning and Resources page.
All questions about the Pre-K Expansion RFA should be submitted to the Pre-K Expansion Grant Coordinator identified on the Grant RFPs and RFAs webpage.
Additional questions regarding this announcement should be directed to:
Early Childhood Specialist: nicole.madore@maine.gov