Early Childhood Network Committee
The Bucksport Bay Early Childhood Network is comprised of a dedicated group of local early childhood educators, childcare providers, public school representatives, community health and social services providers and concerned citizens working to improve the health and learning potential of Bucksport Bay’s youngest citizens.
The Network provides the following functions:
• Provides a local single point of access to services (one-stop-shopping),
• Makes available information on child development and services,
• Assesses needs and gives options,
• Offers referrals for daily living necessities (child care, food, shelter, heat, etc.),
• Provides multi-levels of learning from basic needs of empowerment,
• Gives families assistance with service application and networking,
• Convenes community partnerships to address service needs.
Founded in 2001 the Network has collaborated to:
• Establish a highly effective planning group to organize and coordinate early childhood services
• Define school readiness and educate parents/guardians, community leaders, and citizens on the developmental stages of children’s learning.
• Sponsor an annual School Readiness Fair,
• Create the Totline, a one-stop shop for parents and community members of information and referral about early childhood education, and,
• Track kindergarten readiness of the community’s young children through a report card that measures success using the State’s Kindergarten Readiness indicators.
Our committee works with childcare and pre-school education and development services to create resources to empower families. The annual Children’s Fair is one of the products of the Early Childhood Committee. The fair provides valuable information for families with young children up to age 5.
The ECC has also created a list of six areas vital to a child’s development:
1. Physical Readiness—children have developmentally appropriate physical skills with an eagerness for further challenges.
2. Emotional Readiness—Children learn to trust and feel secure.
3. Thinking and Problem Solving—Children have a curiosity and eagerness to explore and learn about the world around them.
4. Health—Children are well nourished, rested, clean and dressed for the season. They can hear and see well and are immunized.
5. Social—Children are learning to get along with others, becoming more independent and beginning to accept limits.
6. Language—Children can usually understand what is said and can tell others what they needs, want and feel.
The Maine Parent Federation, Inc. is a statewide private non-profit organization that provides information, advocacy, education, and training to parents and professionals to benefit all children.