The Maine DOE is pleased to provide an open-source instructional program for first-grade classrooms.
This research-based, whole child curriculum meets the requirements of Chapter 124: Public Preschool Program Standards and is developmentally appropriate for four-year old children. Adapted from the Boston Public Schools’ Focus on K1 curriculum, Pre K for ME is intended to support any preschool teacher in providing a rich, play-based, intentional curriculum that is aligned to Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards as well as the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. When implemented with fidelity, Pre K for ME builds social-emotional, executive function, language, literacy, math, and vocabulary skills. In addition, students’ conceptual knowledge around a variety of topics is enhanced—an important component for school success.
Pre K for MEAdditional Curriculum Resources
Additional math resources:
Additional technology resources: |
Pre K For ME Informational Session Pre K For ME 2021 Training Videos:
Pre K For ME Guidance Videos: |
Lesson Plans
Unit 1 - Family
Through core texts and play, children will explore families, including how family members relate to one another, help each other out, and work together to solve conflicts and problems. Children will consider the roles and responsibilities of family members.
Unit 2 - Friends
Unit 2 leads children in learning about friendship and solving social conflicts with peers. The concepts of cooperation, sharing, and building friendships are introduced and explored by children with adult support.
Unit 3 - Wind & Water
Building on the understanding of friendships in the classroom, children begin to explore a multi-dimensional study of weather, and the impact on humans and animals through research, scientific concepts, and hands-on and group activities.
Unit 4 - World of Color
Children explore color in their world and their classroom. Through hands-on activity and new concepts children learn about the functionality of color and refining their experience through color mixing, understanding permanent and temporary color, staining and fading, and more!
Unit 5 - Shadows & Reflection
Children explore the properties and aesthetics of light, as well as the ways light is beneficial to people and animals. They investigate the sciences of shadows and reflections by using new tools and vocabulary, as well as how light is used to convey feelings, emotions and ideas in art.
Unit 6 - Things That Grow
Children synthesize skills and concepts they have learned during the previous five units as they explore the life cycle and learn how both plants and animals grow and develop. They also examine their own development from the babies in Unit 1 to the capable and independent children they have become, as they explore their transition into kindergarten.
Pre K for ME Support
- Pre K for ME would not have been possible without funding from the US Department of Education, Preschool Development Grant 2015-19, CFDA: 84.419
- Special attribution to Boston Public Schools Early Childhood Director, Dr. Jason Sachs and their teachers, staff and coaches who created and shared this curriculum with the Maine DOE.
- Melissa Luc, Boston Public Schools coach and curriculum writer who led the training, rewrites, and revisions for Maine.
- Kelly Frahn, Coach, Monica Redlevske, Education Manager, and Anneke MacIsaac, Coach were significant contributors to the revisions.
- Math-Dr. Beth Hatcher (Retired) University of Maine at Farmington, and Jodelle Austin, Prek Teacher, South Portland Public Schools
- Outdoor Component-Dr. Patti Bailie, University of Maine at Farmington
- Technology Component-Dr. Donna Karno, University of Maine at Farmington