1,2,3 All Ears On Me

Governor Mills has proposed significant cuts to Maine's childcare funding this legislative cycle. In this episode, Kailina interviews MaineAEYC's Co-Executive Director, Heather Marden, to learn more about what cuts have been proposed, what the impact of cuts to childcare would be, and how all of us (educators, families, business owners, and community members) can help prevent these cuts from happe...

March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month, so we are joined in this episode by Samara Cole-Doyon to talk about disability in childhood. She was an early childhood educator and is now a children's book author and the mother to a child with disabilities. She shares about her experience raising a son with a disability and what that means for her family, as well as her ideas on how policymaker...

Outdoor Childcare Licensing Webinar hosted by MaineAEYC & the Maine Early Childhood Outdoors Network (MeECO). Panelists--Sessa Salas, Jessica Lewis, and Jess Labbe--share aspects of their licensed outdoor programs and their experience working with licensors. Resources mentioned in the episode: Join the MeECO mailing list. NatStart Alliance Resources. Childcare Weather Watch Chart. Winter Weath...

The 2024 legislative session in Maine has begun! We're joined in this episode by Heather Marden, Co-Executive Director of MaineAEYC, to learn about what bills are on the table this session that will affect children, families, teachers, and childcare providers. Learn about our priority bills for the session and how you can get involved to help pass the bills into law! Resources mentioned in the epi...

The Salary Supplement Program for childcare teachers in Maine has recently changed. We're joined in this episode by Diane Nicholson and Crystal Arbour from the Office of Child & Family Services so that they can explain some of the recent changes to the program and where to go if you have questions. Resources mentioned in the episode: OCFS FAQ sheet for Salary Supplement Program MaineAEYC Resou...

Did you know that December is "Learn a Foreign Language" Month? To recognize it, we're discussing bilingual education in early childhood in this episode. We're joined by Thania Hernandez, owner and operator of Mis Primeros Pasos childcare in Ellsworth, and her Infant/Toddler teacher, Cindy Tosca. Resources mentioned in the episode: Mis Primeros Pasos - My First Steps website Recording of "Ata Maka...

We're talking today to Anne Adams, Coordinator for the Maine Early Childhood Outdoors Network (MeECO). She shares resources available for teachers and administrators to start and expand their outdoor teaching journey, as well as suggestions for bringing children outside if they've never done it before. To learn more about MeECO or get involved, go to: maineaeyc.org/meeco To donate to our Giving Tu...

In the wake of the Lewiston shooting last week in Maine, this episode focuses on how to talk to children about tragedy and community violence. We're joined by members of the MaineAEYC staff -- Tony Major, Jesse Ellis, and Heather Marden. Our conversation in this episode is an open dialogue amongst peers. It is imperfect and incomplete, but it is an authentic conversation where ECE professionals sh...

This week, we're talking about the TEACH scholarship program . We're joined first by the TEACH program staff from MaineAEYC, Morgan Tolin and Tony Major. After that, we hear directly from a current recipient of a TEACH scholarship, Bridget Barden, and her sponsoring employer, Sasha Shunk, to learn about the benefits of using this program to get your ECE degree! This podcast is a production of the...

This week, we're talking about Maine's new Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS) that was implemented this year for childcare programs. We're joined first by Jenn Wiles, the Early Childhood Quality Improvement Systems Coordinator for Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network, to learn about what a QRIS is, how Rising Stars was created, and how it works. After that, we hear f...

This podcast is a production of the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children (MaineAEYC), a registered nonprofit. Learn more about MaineAEYC: https://maineaeyc.org/ . This podcast is hosted, recorded, produced, and edited by Kailina Mills.