Help Me Grow Maine – A Free Resource to Connect Children and Families to Services

We are excited to share the launch of Help Me Grow Maine, a resource developed by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services. This is a free, easy-to-access resource that connects children up to 8 years of age and their families, as well as pregnant people, with information and services related to child development and other family needs. Please share this resource with your school support staff, families, and school communities.

More about ‘Help Me Grow, Helping Families in Maine’

The earliest years of a child’s life present great opportunities to promote positive outcomes that will set a trajectory for the rest of their lives. Resources and services to address the needs of families with young children must work together as a coordinated system to have the greatest possible impact in this critical developmental time frame.

Throughout the state of Maine, there is an existing grid of resources to help provide for the development and well-being of Maine’s children. This grid works as designed for some families; they easily connect and receive a consistent supply of what is needed to support them. For many other families, though, connecting with the grid is a challenge. They can’t readily plug in, and if they do connect, they experience an inconsistent flow of resources, for a variety of reasons. Those reasons could include confusing eligibility requirements, difficulty reaching or hearing back from a resource after trying to connect, siloed programs with limited knowledge of each other, and many others. These challenges and more can prevent families from connecting with the supports they and their children need to be healthy in every way.

Help Me Grow Maine exists to strengthen this resource grid. This is accomplished by connecting families to providers, and providers to other providers, in ways that improve success in access. Help Me Grow’s Resource Specialists support families all over the state, and importantly, also report to stakeholders and policymakers the ongoing needs in our communities. Our central access point is a way for all families of children birth to eight, as well as pregnant people, to reach out and be linked with information, resources, and referrals to the already-existing services that are part of the grid here in Maine. We are a low-barrier resource, requiring no formal referral from a professional, no financial or diagnostic criteria, and no paperwork to complete to begin the process.

Reasons to reach out to Help Me Grow include:

You are working with a family that needs additional supports, but you are unsure what they are eligible for/where to refer them.
A family needs support in getting successfully through the process to connect with a program or resources (CDS, Targeted Case Management, Early Care and Education settings, etc.).
You would like to speak as a professional with a resource specialist about what resources are available for a family you are working with, or about resources in your area in general.
You would like a child to receive a developmental and/or social-emotional screening.

Help Me Grow is now available statewide. Support through Help Me Grow can be accessed by both families and providers by calling 207-624-7969 or via our online referral portal found here: Help Me Grow Maine Online Referral. Families can also access support via our partnership with 211 Maine; when calling 211, Option 5 will transfer callers to a Resource Specialist from Help Me Grow, and 211 specialists also collaborate to provide “warm transfers” of callers to Help Me Grow when appropriate.

For more information or to complete a developmental screening, please visit our website. You can also reach out to Melinda Corey, Help Me Grow Outreach Specialist, to learn more (207-441-1553, call or text; melinda.corey@maine.gov).

Nominate a Teacher for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by January 9th

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is currently accepting nominations and applications for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). PAEMST is the highest recognition that a Kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science educator may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Since 1983, more than 5,100 teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. Up to 108 awardees may be recognized each year. Maine is proud to have honored over 80 exceptional educators for their contributions!

Marshalyn Baker, Secondary Mathematics Awardee (1994) shared the value of accepting the nomination and the impact on her life, “Receiving this award took me on a professional and personal journey of a lifetime. I took on leadership roles with ATOMIM and NCTM Affiliate Services and the Board of Directors, met and worked with NASA scientists, and leveraged classroom resources and knowledge to better teach my students. I traveled extensively to speak at conferences and share and collaborate with a fabulous professional community. I felt valued and honored to be a mathematics educator from a rural state.”

This current cycle will recognize educators teaching grades 7-12. Anyone—principals, teachers, parents, students, colleagues, Higher Education partners, association members, or members of the general public—may nominate a teacher by completing the nomination form. To submit a nomination, you’ll need the teacher’s name, email address, and school contact information. Teachers may also initiate the application process themselves at www.paemst.org.

2022-2023 One-Page Outreach Flyer

2022-2023 One-Page Outreach Flyer (Spanish)

Eligibility

Applicants must:

Teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics as part of their contracted teaching responsibilities at the 7-12 grade level in a public (including charter) or private school;
Hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
Be a full-time employee of their school or school district as determined by state and district policies, with responsibilities for teaching students no less than 50% of the school’s allotted instructional time;
Have at least five years of full-time employment as a K-12 teacher prior to the 2022-2023 academic school year, with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teaching duties during each of the past five years;
Teach in one of the 50 states, the Department of Defense Education Activity schools, or the U.S. Jurisdictions of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or as a group American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; and
Not have received the PAEMST award at the national level in any prior competition or category.

Why apply/nominate?

Please consider nominating outstanding STEM teachers today! By nominating a teacher, you play an important role in elevating Maine’s education workforce.

Recipients of this prestigious Presidential award receive the following:

A certificate signed by the President of the United States.
A paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. An
opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation.

Important Dates

For secondary 7-12, the nomination deadline is January 9, 2023, and the application deadline is February 6, 2023. Secondary 7-12 educators will be eligible to apply during the current cycle. Nominations are encouraged early so that educators have ample time to submit applications!

Questions? Contact:

Emily Doughty, PAEMST Coordinator, Emily.doughty@maine.gov

To learn more about the ways in which Maine is striving to attract, support, and sustain a strong educator workforce please visit the Teach Maine plan’s webpage: https://www.maine.gov/doe/exploreeducation/teachmaine.

Reports OPEN: Quarter 2 Reporting

Attendance, Behavior, Bullying, and Truancy reports for Quarter 2 (October, November, and December) are open as of January 1, 2023. These reports will close on Sunday, January 15th.

These reports will need to be reviewed, validated, and certified. Superintendent certification is required for all quarterly reporting, with the exception of Attendance data, which is validated in Quarters 1, 2, and 3, then certified in Quarter 4.

Reporting Resources: