MCA's vision is that all Maine children are safe, healthy, nurtured by family and community, and have the opportunity to learn and grow to reach their full potential. Stay connected with our work and help us remain a strong, independent voice for Maine's children.
In the second session of the 131st Maine Legislature, MCA is committed to elevating the voices and interests of Maine children and families. Our priorities cross issue areas, involve new legislation, the implementation of recently enacted legislation, and administrative action in key areas of child and family well-being. State investments should prioritize strengthening families with the greatest needs and bolstering the critical services and programs that support them.
You will notice that the 2023 Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book looks different. We added new content to align with our commitments to center equity in our work and to elevate the voices of people closest to the issues and solutions.
Visit: 2023 Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book
Special thanks to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, John T. Gorman Foundation, and the Maine Health Access Foundation for supporting Maine KIDS COUNT.
Strengthening Our Early Care and Education System Will Improve the Health and Well-being of Children and Support Working Parents
Mainers have a long tradition of working together to solve tough problems. Right now, we face a significant, but solvable challenge of an inadequate early care and education (ECE) system. In fact, the problem is that it isn’t a “system” at all but a patchwork of programs of variable quality, affordability, and availability throughout the state. This creates inequities in opportunity both for children’s healthy development and the stability of our workforce. What can we do to support the needs of our modern workforce and ensure Maine has a professional and thriving early care and education system? In the following sections, we briefly describe the current challenges facing both families and providers, strategies to help repair our patchwork of programs throughout the state to create a true early childhood system, and what kinds of investments are required to build and sustain that system.
Child welfare continues to appear in headlines as policymakers and state leaders react to the challenges faced by our state’s child welfare system. Information about the efficacy of the child welfare agency is important and deserves routine discussion and thoughtful analysis. However, our focus and attention cannot stop there. Why are so many families struggling? We must find ways to work together to help parents and caregivers provide safety and stability for their children.
November 3, 2023
The 2024 Maine County Profiles include a summary of each county’s strengths and challenges, demographic data, and select indicators of child health and well-being. They offer insight into how policies and practices in Maine are working and where there are opportunities for improvement.
As part of our 25th anniversary celebration in 2019, we created a short video to highlight all the important work of the Maine Children’s Alliance, as we look back at where we’ve come from, how we got where we are today, and what we hope to do in the future.
Because whether it’s ensuring parents can live and raise their families outside of poverty, children have access to health care, families can afford quality child care, schools are supporting student achievement, and children have a safe and permanent home, that’s where MCA will be, until we can proudly say that we have truly helped to make Maine, “the best place to be a kid.”
The Maine Children’s Alliance advocates for sound public policies and promotes best practices to improve the lives of all Maine children, youth, and families.
331 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330 • Phone: (207) 623-1868 • Email: outreach@mekids.org
