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State of Maine: Vaccine benefits outweigh risks

March 22, 2019

Hundreds of Mainers showed up in Augusta last week to testify on LD 798, An Act to Protect Maine Children from Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements. The exemptions the bill would repeal are those based on “religious or philosophical beliefs.” The bill does continue to provide exemptions for those with medical conditions that make vaccination contraindicated.

Legislature’s watchdog committee urged to make protecting children a priority

March 8, 2019

Lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee also are told that many of the changes they approved after the deaths of two girls in 2017 and 2018 are in the works.

Surviving Maine's day care desert

February 14, 2019

Young families are on months-long waiting lists, day care centers can't find or afford help, and the cost of child care in Maine, in some cases, rivals college tuition per year.

When it comes to caring for at-risk kids, watchdog says Maine still faces crisis

January 25, 2019

In most of the 10 months since 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy was abused to death allegedly at the hands of her mother and stepfather, the number of assessments state-contracted caseworkers conducted into potentially at-risk families nearly doubled.

Statewide pre-kindergarten programs in public schools gaining momentum

January 14, 2019

Offering pre-kindergarten classes statewide is one of the top education priorities of the new administration of Gov. Janet Mills, despite a hefty cost in the range of $40 million per year and questions about whether all schools have the space to house that many 4-year-olds.

Help children have a brighter future

November 1, 2018

We support increased access to quality early childhood education in Maine and we urge a “yes” vote on Question 4 on the November ballot.