From Nicole.Madore at maine.gov Tue Feb 24 12:54:44 2026 From: Nicole.Madore at maine.gov (Madore, Nicole) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2026 17:54:44 +0000 Subject: [ELmaine] From Ideas to Impact: Early Learning Solutions Lab Community of Practice and Mini-Grant Opportunities Message-ID: The Early Learning Team within the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Teaching and Learning, in partnership with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services, is offering a joint professional learning opportunity, designed to strengthen community-centered mixed-delivery systems. The landscape of early childhood education in Maine is evolving. The continued expansion of public pre-K programs, along with recent legislation transitioning Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) responsibilities for children ages three to five from Child Development Services (CDS) to public schools, underscore the growing need for a strong, coordinated mixed-delivery system. This kind of system-one that intentionally connects public schools and community-based early care and education providers-helps all children have equitable access to high-quality early learning opportunities from birth through the early elementary years. Building and sustaining a mixed-delivery system requires communities to move beyond siloed approaches and work collaboratively across schools, Head Start programs, private centers, and family child care homes. Together, partners can expand access, respond to diverse family needs, and create more seamless experiences for young children and the adults who support them. For more detailed information and to sign-up, read the DOE Newsroom article here. ________________________________________ Nicole Madore Early Childhood Specialist - Early Learning Team Office of Teaching and Learning Maine Department of Education 23 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333-0023 Email: nicole.madore at maine.gov Phone: 207-446-3967 (cell) Maine DOE | Facebook | Instagram | Maine DOE Newsroom [cid:image001.jpg at 01DCA58C.C0D82EF0] [cid:image002.png at 01DCA58C.C0D82EF0] [cid:image003.png at 01DCA58C.C0D82EF0] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 17901 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 440433 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 107183 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: