Category: Early Childhood

Maine DOE and DHHS ink pledge on early childhood learning

A little over a year ago, Maine scored high, but not high enough, on its application for a Race to the Top grant to promote advances in the state’s early childhood learning systems. We and our counterparts at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, who worked collaboratively to develop the plan, held a press conference and pledged to move forward with as much of the plan as we could, even though we would not receive any federal funding.

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Advisory council meeting to discuss IDEA, Part C: programs for infants & toddlers with disabilities

The State Interagency Coordinating Council’s initial meeting for this year is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 29, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Cross State Office Building in Augusta. Continue reading “Advisory council meeting to discuss IDEA, Part C: programs for infants & toddlers with disabilities” →

Amended guidance on federal sequestration

This is an update on the current status of the anticipated sequestration of federal funds as a result of the debt limit deal enacted by Congress on August 2, 2011. The President is required to issue a sequestration order, which will have immediate effect, no later than Jan. 2, 2013.

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Laura Richards School overcomes CIPS status, surpasses standards

First grade teacher Laurie Malcolm (upper left) studies shapes with the Reiter family during Math Mania night at Laura E. Richards School.

Being identified as a Continuous Improvement Priority School in 2009 was devastating for staff at Laura E. Richards School in Gardiner.

Too few students were meeting the targets in mathematics according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Now, after two years of hard work by Principal Karen Moody, her staff and the entire school community, students at Laura Richards have surpassed the targets in both math and reading.

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Virtual learning center a success for family literacy program

Commissioner Stephen Bowen meets Jack Wheeler, recent graduate of the SPICE Family Literacy Program.
Commissioner Stephen Bowen meets Jack Wheeler, recent graduate of the SPICE Family Literacy Program, which enabled Jack to work and spend time with his family while finishing his high school degree from home.

With the press of a button, members of more than a dozen families in RSU 3 can transport themselves to the halls of Mount View High School – the virtual halls, that is. Select families in 11 Waldo County towns can enroll in this virtual learning center, which opened in 2010 as part of the Students and Parents in Cooperative Education (SPICE) Family Literacy Program that aims to overcome issues of rural isolation.

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Comments sought on Maine’s IDEA Part B application

The Maine Department of Education is seeking comments from the public on its application for federal funds under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services for preschool- and school-age children with disabilities.

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Comments sought on Maine’s IDEA Part C application

The Maine Department of Education is seeking comments from the public on its application for federal funds under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which covers services for infants and toddlers (birth through age 2) with disabilities.

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Harvard institute focuses on coordinated PreK-3 approach

Teams of Maine educators can apply to attend a four-day institute at the Harvard Graduate School of Education this spring that focuses on implementing a coordinated approach to instruction from pre-Kindergarten through grade three.

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Not chosen for award, Maine pledges to move ahead on early learning program

Focus on high-quality early learning and development experiences for children before kindergarten

AUGUSTA – While Maine was not one of the nine states chosen for a major federal grant for early learning programs, state education and health officials pledged Friday to move forward anyway with their plan to bolster high quality early learning and development experiences for children before kindergarten.

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