Support early childhood education

The future of Maine depends on the early education and care system we build today. Scientists say the best way to build a robust generation of young people who will lead our communities and grow our economy tomorrow is to provide children with stable, responsive relationships and positive learning experiences that build the architecture of the developing brain and provide it with a strong foundation.

Maine’s system of early education and care must provide all of Maine’s children with equal access to the opportunities that build that strong foundation. Yet the recent report, Early Childhood Programs’ Scarcity   Undermines Maine’s Rural Communities indicates geographical gaps in access to child care in our state.

To guarantee supportive environments for children to learn and grow and for parents to work, we must invest in child care driven and shaped by the communities they operate in – like Elevate Maine/Somerset in Skowhegan. By creating community-based models, we can build up the availability of child care across our state, that meets the needs of parents, children, providers and employers, whether they live in Aroostook or Cumberland County.

We need to renew our commitment to providing a child care system that helps our next generations of Mainers to thrive. Now more than ever we need to support what works for our current Maine families, as well as to attract and retain new young families, all of whom are looking for quality early childhood experiences for their children.

Margaret Leitch Copeland,
Bath