Maine’s Distinctive Approach to First 10

This post was originally published on Education Development Center’s First 10 website. Republished here with permission.

Maine began working with First 10 director David Jacobson in 2018, implementing First 10 practices in 13 schools across the state. This early work led to the creation of a state-level cross-agency team that promotes connections between early education initiatives. Currently, the Maine Department of Education provides a state-level support position and funding for a coordinator in each community to support the implementation of First 10 practices. Maine is also focused on building a network between the First 10 communities across the state to provide opportunities for collaboration, learning, and support. This network-building effort includes hosting a community of practice for Maine’s First 10 coordinators, quarterly virtual convenings, and a one-day summer institute. Maine is also working toward the sustainability of First 10 initiatives through braided funding sources and seeking different grants and partnerships with community organizations and business.

This innovative approach to implementing First 10 was shared at the December First 10 Network meeting. Held on a monthly basis, the First 10 Network meetings bring together First 10 partnerships from across the United States to learn from one another and to share resources, challenges, and successful strategies.

Showcasing First 10 Activities

At the December First 10 Network meeting, the communities of Limestone/Caswell and Sanford offered great examples of supportive, dynamic teams implementing creative strategies to support First 10 initiatives. Here are some of the great activities happening across these Maine communities:

• Connecting schools and communities: The Limestone/Caswell First 10 community has worked to connect their two towns with needed resources and services. Before the start of the school year, an open-house and community education fair were hosted to introduce students and their families to their teachers and classrooms. The fair also included 50 displays and presentations from organizations across Aroostook County, as well as opportunities to access services such as dental appointments. The Limestone/Caswell First 10 initiative has also led to the development of a Community Resource Center, which provides access to information about community partners, programs, and resources.
• Play and Learn series: The Sanford First 10 community hosts multiple Play and Learn series to support families and caregivers. The Play and Learn series are held in central community locations and focus on children ages 0 to 4. Each series is held for six weeks, and each session runs for 60 minutes. During the Play and Learn sessions, parents and caregivers learn about different strategies to support their children’s development while connecting with other families and community organizations.
• Supporting the transition to kindergarten: Both Limestone/Caswell and Sanford First 10 initiatives support the transition to kindergarten for children and families. Limestone and Caswell teachers collaborated to develop a First 10 community booklist and shared this list throughout the community in a bookmark form. Both schools also have First 10 community book displays to allow children and families to access the books. The Sanford First 10 community also created a book list, which is available in both a bookmark and a digital format (the latter to support accessibility). Both communities advertise and host a series of Welcome to Kindergarten events, which bring families and their children into schools. This series of events encourages on-time registration for kindergarten and peer-to-peer connections. In addition, Sanford supports the transition to kindergarten with ongoing joint professional learning sessions that bring together childcare providers, early childhood education programs, and pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers for shared learning opportunities.

The December network meeting was a great opportunity for the First 10 Network to hear successful examples of community implementation and gather ideas to take back to their own teams!

Learn more about Maine’s First 10 work in the recording and materials from a recent virtual event, “First 10 School-Community Partnerships in Action,” hosted by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.