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Child Care Plus ME

 


Child Care Plus ME

Child Care Plus ME is a collaborative partnership between the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care and Head Start.

The project works to ensure that all infants, preschoolers, and young children–including children with challenging behaviors and children with medical, physical, and developmental disabilities–have an opportunity to be cared for and educated in high quality, inclusive schools and community child care settings.

The project staff works with Maine child care programs and providers and with state, regional, and local partners to strengthen Maine’s early care and education system, to more effectively support the needs of children with special needs and their families.

Our consultation to programs and providers includes problem solving assistance and individualized training to support early care and education programs. The staff work with program administrators, family child care providers, teachers, families, and other direct care staff in a variety of settings including private and not–for–profit child care centers, Head Start, family child care homes, school age child care, legal unlicensed child care, preschools, public schools, and community programs.

Project staff also collaborates with Maine’s Child Care Resource Development Centers, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care and Head Start, Maine Department of Education Office of Special Services, Child Care Licensing, Child Development Services, ASPIRE/TANF, early intervention and related service providers, University of Southern Maine Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service Maine Roads to Quality and others by providing information and technical assistance to build their capacity to support access to quality inclusive early care and education for children with special needs.

To learn more about Child Care Plus ME and the technical assistance process, view our brochure, Child Care Plus Me - A Resource for You,

To request technical assistance, please contact us at 207/892-0455 (V) or toll free in Maine at 866/230-4520 (V/TTY) or download the TA request form:

A Consent for Release of Information form is also needed and can be downloaded as well:

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat (for viewing PDF files), use this link to download Acrobat Reader, a free web tool.

Services:

Consultation/technical assistance to early care and education programs/ providers:

  1. Telephone/on–line consultation,
  2. Assistance in locating materials and resources,
  3. On-site visits/observations,
  4. Video review and consultation,
  5. Individualized training, Internet and self-study course activities,
  6. Special needs subsidy funding to include a child or children with special needs in child care (funding is based on eligibility criteria and approval by DHHS).

Consultation to systems partners:

  1. Technical assistance to support efforts to make resource and referral services available to families of children with disabilities throughout the state,
  2. Assistance with the development and implementation of training opportunities that embed inclusive education,
  3. Research, development, and technical assistance in early childhood mental health consultation,
  4. Collaboration to support the development of policies and practices that promote inclusive early care and education environments.

Funding Period:

October 1, 2007 - September 30, 2008

Funding Source:

Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Care and Head Start

Contact Person:

Linda Labas
linda.labas@umit.maine.edu

207/892-0455 ext. 13 (V)
866/230-4520 (V/TTY)
207/892-2330 (Fax)

Links:

 

Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies
5717 Corbett Hall, Rm 114
The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469
Phone: 207/581-1084


The University of Maine
Orono, Maine 04469
207/581-1110
A Member of the University of Maine System