KVCAP Staff, Families and Parent Ambassadors Advocate for Early Care and Education

KVCAP staff, families, and children joined the festivities at the annual Head Start in the Park on May 12 and had the opportunity to visit with Representative Colleen Madigan to voice their support for Early Care and Education initiatives being considered by the state legislature.

On May 25, a committed group of Parent Ambassadors were at the State House advocating for and testifying on several bills, including LD 1726 which calls for $60 million to be invested in Maine's child care system over the net two years and LD 1799 which would expand public preschool opportunities.

Rhonda Kaiser, Educare Central Maine School Director, and Tracye Fortin, KVCAP/Educare COO, also testified in support of LD 1726. "We are excited to announce that both LD 1726 and LD 1799 have been signed into law," states Tracye Fortin, "and we want to thank our dedicated staff, families and Parent Ambassadors for their time and energy supporting these important bills."

Educare Central Maine Influences New Skowhegan School Build

In 2019, the Department of Education determined that a new elementary school in Skowhegan is critical for the region. The plan includes a dedicated early childhood wing for 160 children, 6 weeks to age 5 for child care and preschool.

Educare Central Maine is serving as a model for the new wing both in the physical design and in the service delivery design. The wing will feature eight preschool classrooms and four infant/toddler rooms, as well as natural playgrounds.

This past year, an active fundraising campaign committee has raised nearly 2.8 million of the $3 million goal for the early childhood wing to support the build, funding quality elements of an early care and education facility, as well as Educare influenced core features in supporting children, families and staff. The longstanding success of (Early) Head Start and the outcome results of Educare Central Maine serve as key influencers of this community early care and education model.

Please join us in Building Better Beginnings and donate to this Educare Beyond the Walls project: Maine's first new school construction build that includes Department of Education funding for the existing KVCAP infant/toddler programming on its' campus. We are excited to see what impact this will have not only in Skowhegan, but other community schools across Maine! 

Comic Relief's Red Nose Day Highlights Educare Central Maine

For the fifth year in a row, the Educare Learning Network has partnered with Comic Relief on their annual fundraising event, Red Nose Day, to end the cycle of child poverty and ensure a healthy future for all children.

This year, the Comic Relief Red Nose team chose to feature Educare Central Maine!

A film crew and team from the Red Nose Day Foundation captured videos and photographs of our children and staff, and interviewed parents and staff members. The resulting testimonials below tell the story of the enormous impact that Educare Central Maine has on the children and families we serve.