Annual Reports
- Early Care and Education Annual Report, Calendar Year 2022 (PDF)
- The need for child care became even more evident during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of historic Federal support, Maine received more than $175 million to support child care improvements - representing the biggest Federal investment in child care since World War II. This was complemented by additional initiatives, including state-funded salary supplements for early childhood educators and grants to expand child care capacity. Read the full plan here: 2020-2023 Child Care Plan for Maine (PDF)
ECE Initiatives
Child Care Cost Estimation Study
Understanding the cost of early childhood education and care services and the key cost drivers experienced by child care providers is an essential first step in developing an overarching and effective strategy to support Maine's child care system. OCFS retained the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity (CELFE) to study and develop a model to understand the cost of providing child care in the state. To estimate the cost of providing child care services, CELFE created cost models to study the cost of care and investigate to what extent there are revenue-expense gaps for typical providers under current market conditions. CELFE created cost estimation studies for two provider types in Maine, Center-Based and Family Child Care, to capture the unique cost drivers for these different business models. The results of this work are captured in both the Executive Summary and the Full Report, below.
Child Care Cost Study Executive Summary (PDF)
Child Care Cost Study Full Report (PDF)
Bipartisan Policy Center Gap Analysis
In 2019, Maine participated in the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) effort to quantify the supply of, and potential need for, child care in 25 states (report link below). Maine recently participated in an updated mapping as of 2021 (PowerPoint slide deck and webinar links below). Maine is using the results as an additional data point to address child care capacity in the state.
Additionally, Maine used the data and recommendations from the 2020 BPC report to inform several child care recovery efforts that have been deployed over the past two years including the Child Care Plan for Maine, the Child Care Infrastructure Grants and the Early Childhood Educator Salary Supplement Program.
Maine Child Care Supply/Demand Analysis in 2019
BPC Full Report
Maine Child Care Supply/Demand Analysis in 2022
Slide Deck
Webinar
Early Childhood Consultation Partnership (ECCP®) Expansion & Evaluation
OCFS began a pilot of ECCP®, an evidence-based model of early childhood mental health consultation, in 2021 across eight initial counties. ECCP® provides short-term consultation to build the skills and capacity of child care providers, afterschool programs, and public schools to meet the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children birth through age eight. Per legislation passed in 2022, OCFS began expanding ECCP® services statewide in January 2023.
OCFS participated in a process evaluation of the initial pilot of ECCP®, conducted by SRI Education. The resulting report was produced in May 2023 and incorporated stakeholder input, including families and early childhood educators. The findings and recommendations from this report will be used to inform the statewide expansion of ECCP® and improve service delivery.
Early Childhood Webinar
A webinar sharing news and updates from the Office of Child and Family Services on Help Me Grow, ASQ Online, Maine ECCP®, First4ME, and Child Care Infrastructure Grants.
- Date: November 10, 2022 – 8:30-9:30am EST (Zoom)
- Speakers: Commissioner Lambrew, Director Landry, Elissa Wynne, Crystal Arbour, Jessica Gerrish, Angie Bellefleur, Melinda Corey, Megan Swanson, Amy Beaulieu, Nikki Williams.
PowerPoint Presentation (PDF) Webinar
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) announced today the launch of Help Me Grow Maine, an initiative to connect Maine families to services and resources that help young children grow up healthy and thriving. Read the full announcement here.
Maine’s Zero To Three Workgroup Early Childhood Education Workforce Report
In January of 2022, Maine’s Zero to Three Workgroup released its report on State Policy Options for Early Childhood Educator Compensation which examined three common approaches to increase the compensation of early childhood educators, including tax credits, wage supplements, and education awards. This report summarizes the basic elements of each approach, including their advantages and disadvantages. The report also provides background on the impact of COVID-19 on the early childhood education system, the current industry challenges regarding compensation for staff, and the demand by families for affordable child care. The report is intended to inform policy efforts as Maine seeks to expand the accessibility and affordability of high-quality early childhood education and child care throughout the state. These efforts will benefit early childhood educators and the children and families served by the early childhood education system.
Taking Action to Improve Child Care in Maine
In December of 2019, Congress passed a $550 million increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, including a projected $8 million in additional funds for Maine's Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP).
OCFS, which administers the CCSP program, worked proactively to plan for this increase in funding, to best meet the specific needs of Maine children and families and ensure timely execution when funds become available. We developed spending priorities based on the goals and strategies of the Children's Cabinet, the needs assessment and strategic plan that resulted from the Preschool Development Grant Planning Grant, the child care mapping conducted with the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the three-year CCDBG State Plan.
Expanding infant and rural child care
Multiple assessments have identified the need for additional infant care statewide and child care for all ages in rural areas. As a result, OCFS will:
- Waive licensing fees for child care providers in rural areas and fees for any new providers statewide serving infants
- Provide a weekly stipend of up to $100 per infant to all licensed providers participating in the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), who are in compliance with health and safety requirements and are providing full- or part-time care
- Provide $1 million in mini grants to providers opening new facilities or expanding a current facility. Priority will be given to providers in rural areas.
Improving child care quality
Another primary focus is the need to improve the quality of child care statewide. Maine’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), also known as Rising Stars, provides parents with a way to easily identify high-quality early childhood and education programs. The rating system is based on five stars, with each star leading to higher quality.
OCFS will:
- Fund $1 million in mini grants to assist providers in moving up the QRIS quality rating system.
- Provide a 10% "quality bump" payment under the CCSP program for providers participating in QRIS and in compliance with health and safety requirements that are serving infants and toddlers.
- Provide parents served by CCSP with a reduced co-pay when they choose programs at Star 4 or Star 5 on the QRIS.
Expanding child care capacity
We anticipate additional growth in both CCSP and the number of licensed child care providers based on the efforts outlined above and past initiatives. As a result, OCFS will:
- Set aside $2 million to help ensure Maine continues to provide child care subsidies without a waiting list for the program. Maine is one of a handful of states nationwide that currently has no waiting list for child care subsidies.
OCFS has also identified the need for additional early childhood education professionals. As a result, OCFS will:
- Provide $200,000 to the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children to operate the T.E.A.C.H. early care and education scholarship program.
OCFS will use the remaining funding to:
- Meet the increased demand on Child Care Licensing and CCSP by adding one new position in each area, to ensure excellent customer service in both licensing of child care providers and enrollment in CCSP.
We are targeting funding and actions to address the specific needs of Maine's children, families, and child care providers, which will improve both the availability and quality of care throughout the state.