Our Work
Public Policy & Advocacy
MaineAEYC informs our network about local, state, and federal policies affecting children, families, and educators and advocates on behalf of the early care and education workforce, families, and young children as part of our commitment to developing a system of quality early childhood education.
We encourage educators & families to join us in this work, providing tools & resources to get involved and self-advocate. This is why we created the LEaP program. Participants learn best practices and strategies in speaking about the most pressing, critical early childhood issues. They participate in activities and trainings, speak with administrators and elected officials, and organize with other educators, parents, and community members.
Professional learning
MaineAEYC is committed to providing high-quality professional learning opportunities to early childhood (birth to 8) educators across the state so that they can best serve the children and families they work with.
This work includes facilitating the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship, which provides child care workers with the funds to cover almost all of their tuition, book expenses, and paid study time as they pursue associate or bachelor degrees in the early childhood field.
We also host and coordinate the annual Statewide ECE Conference, providing 12 hours of training on important topics in the field.
Facilitation and support
MaineAEYC strives to support educators, families, and children to thrive. For this work, we facilitate several smaller projects, including:
Maine Early Childhood Outdoors Network (MeECO), an inclusive statewide network made up of early childhood stakeholders who support outdoor and nature-based learning experiences.
Building Bridges, a program to facilitate collaboration in communities from child care facilities to preschools to elementary schools so that they work together to develop solutions that address the needs of children, teachers, and families.