Advocates for children in Maine warned the Trump administration’s proposed deregulation of the Head Start program will negatively affect services used by some of the state’s most vulnerable families. The rollback could alter reading standards and nutritional guidelines, increase class sizes and limit access to important medical and dental screenings. Rita Furlow, senior policy analyst for the Maine Children’s…
The 2026 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation showed Maine had some of the sharpest academic declines in the country since 2019, even as fewer families in the state are living in poverty. The report found education outcomes for children continue to decline. It said 74% of Maine fourth graders are not proficient in reading,…
After leaving her full-time job of nine years because of serious health issues, Chena Immel said she has spent the last three years struggling to find health insurance she can afford. During a Mainers for Tax Fairness press conference in Augusta on Thursday, Immel and other advocates called on lawmakers to increase taxes on Maine’s…
Experts said many centers are already facing federal funding delays, which have impacted their preschool programs, and meeting new administrative immigration requirements could put them out of business. Rita Furlow, senior policy analyst for the Maine Children’s Alliance, said immigrant parents, already on edge, could choose to keep their kids home. “Families may now consider…
Childhood poverty is down slightly in Maine, but pandemic-era learning challenges remain, according to a new report. The 2025 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows 75% of eighth graders are not proficient in math, while 74% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading. Kristen Kinchla, research associate with Maine Children’s…
Children and families in rural Maine would face the greatest harm should proposed funding cuts to the federal Medicaid program be implemented, according to a new report. Republicans in Congress are considering more than $2 trillion in cuts to help offset planned tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, leaving states to make up for any shortfalls. Rita…
Story by Kathryn Carley via Maine News Service The economic well-being of kids in Maine is improving, but chronic school absence is impacting learning, according to a new report. The 2024 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows fewer children living in poverty. But the number of high school students not…
Maine ranks 12th in the nation on measures of child well-being following improvements in community and family health, according to a new report. The 2023 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation cited a slight drop in the number of children living in high-poverty areas in Maine, and fewer kids living in…
Lawmakers are one step closer to formulating a paid family and medical leave bill that, if passed and signed into law this session, would make Maine the 14th state to provide workers with paid time off to take care of a newborn or a sick family member. A panel established by the Maine State Legislature,…
Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and other childcare advocates are calling on Maine’s federal delegation to pass President Joe Biden’s proposed agenda, which includes historic investments in critical “human infrastructure” such as childcare and early childhood education. “Maine’s childcare workforce is at a tipping point,” Fecteau, a Democrat representing Biddeford, said at a press conference…