The Maine Department of Education (DOE), in partnership with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services, is continuing a monthly Early Learning Solutions Lab Community of Practice (CoP) as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen Maine’s mixed delivery system for early childhood education.

The landscape of early childhood education in Maine is evolving. The expansion of public preschool programs and recent legislation transitioning special education services for children ages three to five from Child Development Services (CDS) to public schools underscore the growing need for a strong, coordinated mixed delivery system. Such a system—one that intentionally integrates public schools and community-based early care and education (ECE) providers—is essential to ensuring all children have equitable access to high-quality early learning opportunities from birth through the early elementary years.

Building and sustaining a robust mixed delivery system requires communities and educational institutions to move beyond siloed approaches and embrace collaborative, inclusive strategies that respond to the diverse needs of children, families, and educators in their communities. As such, early childhood administrators and educators from both public schools and community-based programs are invited to join the Early Learning Solutions Lab CoP, which focuses on strengthening mixed delivery from a community-centered approach. By creating consistent opportunities for collaboration, reflection, and shared learning, this work helps ensure that all children and families have access to coordinated, high-quality early childhood experiences.

Building on the strong engagement and success from earlier sessions, the Early Learning Solutions Lab CoP will meet monthly from May through December 2026. The CoP will be held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 1:30-2:45 p.m. Those interested in participating may register here.

Each month will focus on a key topic, with opportunities for participants to learn from subject matter experts, explore practical tools, and engage in meaningful discussion. Participation in all CoP sessions is not required but is highly encouraged.

A tentative schedule is as follows:

Month	Topic	Resources
May 26	The Basics	Infant-Toddler and Preschool Maine Early Learning and Development Standards (MELDS)
June 23	Sustainability Planning	Help Me Grow
July 28	Nature-Based Approaches	Maine Prevention Councils
August 25	K Transition as a Whole-Year Approach	Early Childhood Education Consultation for ME
September 22	Community Partner Panel Discussion	Early Childhood Special Education website
October 27	Whole Family Partnership/Engagement	Ages and Stages Questionnaire
*November 17	Data Sharing and Partnership	Early Intervention health resource
*December 15	Early Learning Solutions Lab Celebrations and Highlights	Maine Roads To Quality/Maine DOE supports

*scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month, due to a holiday

With questions, please contact Maine DOE Early Learning Team members Michelle Belanger at  Michelle.Belanger@maine.gov or Sue Gallant at Sue.Gallant@maine.gov.

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the fifth cohort of the Leading Early Learning Fellowship, which will launch during the 2026-2027 school year. Applications will be accepted through July 10, 2026.

As more Maine elementary schools expand their preschool offerings and implement whole-student approaches across the pre-K through grade 3 span, elementary administrators have expressed a need for professional learning tailored to early learning leadership. In response, the Maine DOE, in collaboration with two statewide early childhood organizations—the Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network and the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children—created the Leading Early Learning Fellowship, a dynamic professional learning series designed to meet these needs and support leadership development. Since its launch in 2021, the Fellowship has served five cohorts of elementary school leaders.

“Participating in the series has helped me to look at the decisions we make about our instructional programming and school community through the lens of early learning and what is developmentally appropriate for our youngest learners,” a participant from the first cohort said.

The Fellowship offers rich opportunities for participants to deepen their understanding of early learning pedagogy and best practices for supporting students and educators across pre-K through grade 3. The experience includes a blend of asynchronous learning modules, facilitated online professional learning communities, and in-person gatherings, which support participants in achieving the following outcomes:

• Increasing their knowledge of early childhood development and pedagogy.
• Strengthening early childhood leadership abilities within their school administrative units (SAUs) and communities.
• Identifying resources and key components of high-quality early childhood programming.
• Engaging with a network of colleagues to grow their understanding of early childhood.

“I really enjoyed the variety of materials and activities in which we were engaged—videos, utilizing the observation and reflection tools, and the readings. Also, it was a great group of people to interact with, both online and in-person,” a participant from the third cohort said.

To learn more, please review the informational guide, which includes full program details and the application link. The 2026-2027 cohort will include up to 30 participants. Again, applications will be accepted through July 10, 2026. Once capacity is reached, a waiting list will be created.

For additional information, please contact Maine DOE Director of Early Learning Lee Anne Larsen at leeann.larsen@maine.gov.

During the summer of 2026, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) will once again offer comprehensive training on the use of its For ME instructional programs. The Maine DOE has adapted and piloted these programs for early elementary grades (pre-K through grade 2), based on the Boston Public Schools’ evidence-based Focus Curriculum. These open-source, developmentally appropriate programs are interdisciplinary and align with Maine’s learning standards.

While schools are responsible for purchasing the materials necessary to implement the For ME instructional programs, lesson plans and additional instructional resources are available at no cost through the Maine DOE website. The Maine DOE also provides initial professional learning to support effective implementation.

An informational overview of the For ME instructional programs was shared earlier this winter, and a recording is available here.

The session introduces the program structure, reviews required materials for implementation and outlines available training opportunities. Educators and school leaders who are unfamiliar with the For ME instructional programs are strongly encouraged to view the recording.

Summer Training Opportunities

Educators, administrators, and early learning program staff interested in implementing the For ME instructional programs during the 2026-2027 school year, at any grade level from pre-K through grade 2, are encouraged to participate in the initial implementation trainings offered in the summer of 2026.

These trainings are designed to deepen participants’ understanding of program design and support successful implementation. School administrators are strongly encouraged to attend alongside their pre-K, kindergarten, first-grade, and/or second-grade teachers. Special education educators, education technicians, instructional coaches, and curriculum leaders who support pre-K through grade 2 educators are also encouraged to participate.

There is no cost to attend these trainings.

Training Format and Schedule

All trainings will be held in person from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants should plan to attend all required days for their respective grade-level training.

• Pre-K for ME: Two-day training at a location still to be determined (week of July 27-30, 2026; specific dates forthcoming)
• K for ME: Three-day training at Randall Student Center, University of Maine at Augusta (June 24, July 27, and July 28, 2026)
• 1st and 2nd Grades for ME: Three-day training at Randall Student Center, University of Maine at Augusta (June 24, July 29, and July 30, 2026)

Registration Information

Schools interested in registering educators for these trainings should have a principal or instructional leader complete the training registration form on behalf of all participants from their school(s) by May 11, 2026. The form allows schools to enroll educators in the Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and/or 2nd Grade For ME trainings.

Following the close of registration, participants will receive registration confirmation, as well as final training locations and preparation details.

For additional information, please contact:

• Pre-K for ME: Marcy Whitcomb, Maine DOE Public Pre-K Consultant, at Marcy.R.Whitcomb@maine.gov.
• K for ME, 1st Grade for ME, or 2nd Grade for ME: Lee Anne Larsen, Maine DOE Early Learning Team Director, at Leeann.Larsen@maine.gov or Nicole Madore, Maine DOE Early Childhood Specialist, at Nicole.Madore@maine.gov.

State Activities funds received from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) support the implementation of this project. The project has an award totaling $50,000 of which 50% is federally funded and directly attributed to project implementation. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ED or the U.S. government.