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State Profiles
Maine
Maine has a long history of support for early education. The state offers a pre-kindergarten program as part of its Two-Year Kindergarten initiative. Under this initiative, school districts can offer voluntary pre-k to four year olds and receive reimbursement through the school funding formula. In an effort to promote delivery of pre-k in community-based settings, schools must go through a planning and application process that involves local early care and education providers (e.g., Head Start and child care centers). This process requires individual school districts to tailor the pre-k program to the unique needs of their community.
Currently, 110 of Maine's 556 elementary schools (representing more than a quarter of the state's school districts) offer pre-k, reaching approximately 16 percent of the state's four year olds. While the majority of pre-k programs operate in public schools, 29 percent of the programs use a community-based approach to service delivery, including partnerships with Head Start and contracting with private child care centers and family child care providers. Through concerted efforts by the state superintendent, Department of Education staff, school leadership, and community-based early educators around the state, interest in collaboration between schools and community-based pre-k providers is on the rise. Of the new pre-k programs that were started in fall 2006, 56 percent operate as partnership programs.
To date, Maine's pre-k program has met just four of the 10 quality benchmarks set forth by the  National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). Program quality is poised to improve as a result of legislation passed during the 2007 session which will require certification for pre-k teachers.
Key Milestones
| 1981 |
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Maine's pre-k program is initiated with the enactment of Title 20-A, Maine Education and School Statutes, which allows four year olds to enroll in the Two-Year Kindergarten initiative, a two-year early education program prior to first grade (if one is offered in their district), and to be counted for subsidy. |
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| 1983 |
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The Department of Education begins offering two-year early education program grants (requiring matching funds) to school districts for the start-up of early childhood programs. The two-year grant programs continue through 1990-1991 and assist 74 districts in developing pre-k programs. Some of these early programs are demonstration sites for the High/Scope curriculum. |
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| 1991 |
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State funds for start-up costs are no longer made available, but general purpose aid continues for existing and new, approved programs. Many school districts choose to discontinue their programs. |
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| 1997 |
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Only 27 pre-k programs are offered throughout the state. |
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| 2001 |
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The number of available pre-k programs begins to increase substantially as the result of a number of factors, including: a decrease in the K-12 population, which makes classroom space available for pre-k programs; reports from kindergarten teachers that children are arriving at school with varying levels of preparation; and growing interest among educators, parents, and the public in the potential for early education to promote brain development and school readiness. |
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| 2004 |
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The Department of Education hires an early childhood consultant to plan, develop, coordinate, and administer early childhood initiatives; manage public pre-k programs; and work in partnership with local, state, and federal agencies, and community, business, and other organizations. |
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| 2005 |
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The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services jointly adopt the State of Maine Early Childhood Learning Guidelines, intended to facilitate greater collaboration and consistency across early care and education programs and between early childhood settings and the early elementary grades. A new Essential Program and Services funding model is implemented to encourage further growth in early childhood programs. Under this program, "weighted" subsidies are provided in addition to the regular per-pupil allocation. |
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| 2006 |
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The state's board of education endorses a birth-through-five teaching certificate for the 2007-08 program year. |
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| 2007 |
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Legislation differentiates pre-k for four year olds from kindergarten, which will allow the Department of Education to adopt the necessary quality standards for this age group. The legislature approves the requirement of the birth-through-five teaching certificate for pre-k teachers, which will likely raise the number of NIEER benchmarks met to five. The School Administrative Reorganization is passed, which will reduce the number of school districts from 288 to approximately 80. This will encourage better implementation of pre-k programs, especially with respect to including community-based settings. Maine receives funding from the National Governors Association for a Governor's Community Summit on Early Childhood, which is expected to raise the profile of early childhood and high-quality pre-k for all in the state. |
Pre-K Champions
First Lady Karen Baldacci, chair of the Maine Early Childhood Systems Initiative, has been a steadfast supporter of pre-k, along with her husband, Governor John Baldacci.
Commissioner of Education Sue Gendron, a longtime advocate for pre-k expansion, has led the effort to bring together K-12 and community-based pre-k leaders in collaborative partnerships around the state.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Maine works with police chiefs, prosecutors, sheriffs, and victims of violence to educate policymakers and the public about the potential of high-quality pre-k for all to reduce crime and juvenile delinquency in Maine.
The Maine Children's Alliance keeps legislators focused on the need for increased access to high-quality early education programs across the state.
Next Steps for Maine
The Maine Department of Education is working toward achieving the following
goals to assure that high-quality pre-k is offered to more young children across the state:
- Increase the number of public pre-k programs offered statewide by at least 10 percent each year, with a goal of pre-k for all;
- Implement a regional coaching model to facilitate cross-system relationships and community approaches to pre-k;
- Ensure that 50 percent of new programs operate in community partnership;
- Engage state agencies and associations in the alignment, development, and/or promotion of policies that advance quality standards; and
- Achieve a NIEER quality benchmark rating of 9.
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Meeting the Challenge of Rural Pre-K
Families everywhere struggle to find high-quality pre-k programs for their children, but the problem is even more acute in rural areas. Pre-K Now has come out with recommendations for federal policymakers to help states meet the unique challenges of rural pre-k.
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Video: Briefing on America's Pre-K Movement
Pre-K Now held a briefing for congressional staff, cosponsored by Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kit Bond, on October 1. Hear what a governor, three superintendents, two directors of early childhood programs, and a national teacher of the year think Congress should do to increase families' access to quality, state-funded pre-k.
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Tour a Pre-K Classroom
Through our virtual classroom tour and our short video following real children through their pre-k year, we will help you recognize high quality, understand why it makes a difference, and show you how children benefit.
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