Head Start provides early care and education, as well as health, nutrition, mental health, social and family support, to low-income families with children from prenatal to five years old.
The goal of this project is to improve the educational stability of children in the custody of DHHS. To that end, MCA studied the early stages of implementation of the state and federal laws and identified positive advancements and barriers to success. This report includes short- and long-term recommendations on best implementation practices to the stakeholders, including DHHS’s Division of Child Welfare, MDOE, school personnel and other agencies.
in 2004, Maine participated in a multi-state initiative that developed a formula defining school readiness: Ready Family + Ready Communities + Ready Early Care and Education + Ready Schools = Ready Child.
Over the past 6 years, a greater number of Maine children under age 6 in Maine were living at or below the poverty line than in other New England states. The poverty rate for children under 6 years old in Maine is 20%.
Maine currently has the capacity to serve only an estimated 29.5% of the children who are income eligible for Head Start.
We offer this guide as a reference to help legislators and other policymakers understand the behavioral health issues facing our children and their families. The Maine Children’s Alliance compiled the observations and recommendations of eight organizations involved with mental health services for Maine children.
On a positive note, Maine children continue to be served by support systems that reduce the impact of the economy. Many of the programs that create support for low-income families and their children continue to have higher numbers being served than in years past.
This report presents state-level indicators related to the mental well-being of Maine’s children. These indicators are drawn from state and national survey data, and from data from the public systems in Maine that provide mental health, child welfare, education, early childhood and related services for children.
The income and employment indicators contained in the the 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book reflect, in part, the economic downturn that occurred across the country in 2009.
For many families, the most appropriate choice is a family member or neighbor to provide the child care. This type of child care is referred to as “informal,” “license exempt,” or “Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN).”
Fifteen years ago, we both joined a group of visionary people who were committed to strengthening child advocacy inMaine. Our vision became a reality when we incorporated theMaine Children’s Alliance and Ellie Goldberg, our first President and CEO, joined us in a windowless one-room office in Portland. We have come a long way since then.
We believe a pulic health issue that needs immediate attention is the decline in the immunization rate of Maine's children.
The Maine Children’s Alliance advocates for sound public policies and promotes best practices to improve the lives of all Maine children, youth, and families.
331 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330 • Phone: (207) 623-1868 • Email: outreach@mekids.org
