In 2022, the Maine Department of Education (DOE), in partnership with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), was awarded the Preschool Development Renewal Grant B-5. This three year, $8,000,000/year grant supports early care and educational programming for our youngest students. The Maine DOE, in collaboration with Maine DHHS, is exploring strategies to help support transitions from early childhood settings into kindergarten settings.

One of the many projects included in the grant is the development of a Kindergarten Entry Inventory (KEI). A KEI is a tool administered in the beginning of kindergarten to help teachers gather information about children’s development across a range of domains so that teachers can be responsive to children’s learning.  Additionally, data aggregated from KEIs can help strengthen Maine’s early care and education system by identifying areas of steady growth and continuous improvement.

If you are a Maine Kindergarten Teacher, Early Childhood Administrator, Curriculum Director or Instructional Specialist/Coach, the Maine DOE invites you to engage in the design of a Kindergarten Entry Inventory (KEI). Your expertise and perspective are needed in the following areas:

• Consider applying for membership in the KEI Advisory Team. The goals of this group are to determine the key purposes of a KEI, review research and successful implementation practices, and identify constructs within each domain to assess. Services on this committee will include a stipend. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, attendance at monthly virtual meetings as well as 2 in-person meetings per year. School administrative unit leaders and early childhood educators are welcome to complete the application linked below. Applications for this position are being accepted through May 10th.
• Consider applying for a Kindergarten Entry Implementation Specialist position. The goal of these positions is to pilot various domain specific inventory strategies and to provide feedback to the Advisory Group. Services for this position will include a stipend. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, testing inventory strategies with students, offering timely feedback and attendance at periodic in-person and virtual trainings/meetings. All Kindergarten teachers are welcome to complete the application linked below. Applications for these positions are being accepted through May 10th.

Application for KEI Advisory Team can be found here

Application for KEI Implementation Specialist can be found here.

• Communication about selections for the KEI Advisory Team and for the KEI Implementation Specialist positions will be made by May 24th. The KEI Advisory Team will begin meeting in early June and the Implementation Specialists will begin in the summer (date TBD).
• Additionally, in the near future, School Administrators and Kindergarten Teachers will be invited to complete a survey regarding KEI implementation practices in their school administrative unit. The survey will gather information such as domains assessed, materials used, timelines, professional development and reporting.

For questions or additional information regarding the KEI design and pilot, please reach out to Karen Mathieu, Maine DOE Kindergarten Entry Inventory Specialist, at karen.mathieu@maine.gov.

Every family is unique.  Every family knows their children best. Families are a child’s first and most important teachers.  Having a strong partnership with the caregivers, parents, and family members of the children in your setting is very important in being able to support them to meet their full potential. Elevating family voice, honoring lived experiences and empowering families in offering solutions from family guided needs for child care and educational experiences that are child-centered all aid a whole family approach to early care and education.  Collaborative and strengths-based engagement, partnership and communication through early childhood professionals, school settings and families build positive and goal-oriented support networks for each of Maine’s earliest learners.

Statewide programs that support family engagement:

Maine’s Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) is located in the Department of Education as part of the Early Learning Team and is funded through a federal grant from the Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More information on our eleven Head Start Grantees and three Tribal Head Start Programs can be found here.

Child Care Affordability Program (CCAP) : helps eligible families pay for a portion of child care costs during the time the parent/guardian is working, going to school, or participating in a job training program. CCAP is also available for eligible families where the adult(s) are retired (as defined by the SSA). Apply today by submitting an application available on the CCAP website.

McKinney Vento is a federal Homeless Assistance Act. This law helps students whose housing situations are impacting their education. All students are guaranteed the right to a free, appropriate, public education. More information and who to contact for help can be found on the Maine DOE’s School and Student Supports team site.

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Working together is vital to a young child’s development as they navigate their place in their natural environments and the world they live in. Teaching through collaborative activities showcases essential life skills such as responsibility, teamwork, communication, and independence.  However, the young children in your classroom aren’t the only ones who succeed when everyone works together.  The adults and care givers in young children’s lives must also work and collaborate to plan how we—as citizens of a community, of a state, and of a nation—will better meet the needs of all young children.  Today, we highlight a few statewide examples of working together with a shared goal of all Maine children entering school prepared to succeed, and support for our earliest learners.

Statewide programs that support cross-agency and community collaboration:

• Public PreK Partnerships are just one way that communities across Maine are meeting the demand for high-quality public Pre-K programming. When a public school, licensed community provider and/or a local Head Start team up to provide this service, the opportunities are endless! Each entity brings a different experience and expertise to the table that all children and their families will benefit from. Whether the partnership operates in a school building or a local community setting, families are provided with options and can make educational decisions based on the unique needs of their family. The need for partnerships is growing as we work to enroll as many eligible students in Pre-K programs as possible. The Early Learning Team at the Maine DOE is ready to offer support and answer your questions now.
• First4ME is a three-year, community responsive pilot project funded by the Child Care Block Grant through the Office of Child and Family Services. With four pilot sites across the state, each convened by a non-profit has four goals: 1. To increase successful early learning transitions for children regardless of risk factors leading up to kindergarten entry, 2. Increase sustained, high-quality child care and early childhood education across the mixed delivery system, 3. Develop a coordinated system of support both statewide and local for families, providers, schools, and communities and 4. Strengthen the consistent continuity of care for families birth to school aged with community support to all participants. Through the support of a community coach and a community coalition, First4ME seeks to connect child care providers, school districts, community members, families, local service providers and the community at large to strengthen the bridge to the school setting and empower families through a two generational (2 Gen) approach.
• Community schools are designed to serve the needs of their students, families and communities using a whole student approach. Schools partner with community-based organizations to help provide access to resources, such as physical and mental health care, nutrition and dental services, to prioritize the well-being of students and families. Community schools share common features that support student learning and healthy development and are anchored in four established pillars of the community school movement; 1. Integrated Student Supports, Expanded and Enriched Learning Time, 3. Active Family Engagement, and 4. Collaborative Leadership. Community Schools promote a culture of trust, respect and collaboration between students, staff, parents, and the broader community. In Maine, the Community School approach was first recognized by Maine Legislature in 2015 through the passing of public Law 20-A MRSA and Chapter 333. Currently, there are three schools in Maine who are implementing community school strategies with funding support from the DOE
• First 10 Community Schools are a special type of Community School that implements a two-generational approach to improving equity and well-being for children from birth through the elementary years. Maine currently has three First 10 Pilot sites.  School leaders and educators in these sites are collaborating with families, community care & education providers, state agency partners, and non-profit organizations to build a support network with the school as the hub for parent education, early learning opportunities, comprehensive supports, and social connection.  Play & Learn events for preschool age children, robust transition plans to support families and children, and intentional connections with community providers to develop shared professional learning opportunities to improve quality and support alignment across this age span.  Maine looks forward to bringing on several new pilot sites in the 2024-25 school year.
• Maine’s Early Childhood Consultation Partnership (ECCP®) joins mental health consultants directly with child care providers, educators, and families of children (ages 0-8) to support children’s behavioral, social, and emotional well-being. ECCP® increases the capacity of those caring for young children by identifying and implementing strategies through an evidenced-based, intensive, time-limited consultation model. Child care providers, educators, and caregivers receive support while growing their skills to effectively manage challenging behaviors, allowing children to remain and thrive in their early childhood program or child care.  Consultation can support individual children, entire classrooms, or family child care provider programs. Services are confidential and provided at no cost to providers or families. Find out more about ECCP® at our website or contact us by email: dhhs@maine.gov or phone 207-624-7991.
• MRTQ PDN in Partnership with CCIDS: The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS), Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), brings together the resources of the university and Maine communities to enhance the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Our statewide mission is met through interdisciplinary education, research and evaluation, community engagement, and disseminationof state-of-the-art information that reflect the guiding principles of inclusion, diversity, universal design and access, and social justice. To assure a statewide focus, CCIDS collaborates with, and works to enhance, existing networks throughout Maine; including networks that serve people in rural communities and other unserved and underserved populations, such as culturally and linguistically diverse populations. View a listing of our current projects and initiatives here.

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Incorporating the Arts into programming can help children develop creativity, social skills and fine muscles with open-ended art projects where they can make choices.  There is also a deep benefit to educators to infuse the arts into a child’s day.  This allows early childhood educators to observe children with their peers in order to assess all areas of development. As an early childhood educator, you are a valuable resource.  You are a vital support to families and the young children you care for and educate.  Having a well rooted understanding of child development, observation tools as well as understanding the options available for early screening and intervention can empower families to seek the support they need if there is a concern.  Early intervention services are most effective when provided earlier in life and can change a child’s developmental path to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities.

Statewide programs that support child development:

• Maine Early Learning and Development Standards (MELDS) are available digitally for educators who serve children birth through kindergarten. You can access the Infant/Toddler MELDS and the Preschool MELDS online. A new and improved version of the Preschool MELDS will be available this Spring! Be on the lookout for more information on its release through the Maine DOE, Maine Office of Child and Family Services and Maine Roads to Quality. For school-aged educators, you can access the Maine Learning Results (MLRs) here.

• Help Me Grow is a central access point designed to connect families to information and services about child development and community resources. In partnership with 211 Maine, caregivers and providers can contact Help Me Grow for additional support. Help Me Grow will listen, link families to services, and provide follow-up to both caregivers and referral sources. Visit Help Me Grow Maine for more information.

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