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. For 2022-24 school years, 28 School Administrative Units (SAUs) were awarded funding to expand or start new Pre-K programs.
The Maine DOE is excited to add an additional round of public pre-k expansion funding for school year 2023-24.
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 SAUs to offer public pre-k and the extent to which they can enroll all eligible 4-year-olds from interested families. This funding will help expand pre-k opportunities across Maine.
Maine SAUs interested in starting or expanding public pre-k are encouraged to apply for funding 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, add additional pre-k classrooms to already existing programming, and/or expand existing programs from part-day/part-week to full-day/full-week programs. Funding may also support public pre-k programming through partnerships between SAUs and community providers.
A timeline for the RFA process is provided below.
- January 5, 2023–RFA released
- January 20, 2023—RFA submission deadline
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:
Pre-K RFA Coordinator, jane.kirsling@maine.gov.