State Profile | Maine

The Afterschool Investments project has developed profiles for each state to provide a snapshot of the "state of afterschool," as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. This profile provides key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which includes a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. It is designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers.

• Quick Facts
• Statewide Initiatives
• Notable Local Initiatives
• Statewide Organizations
• Additional Resources
• Notes and Sources

Quick Facts

Demographics

For more demographic information, visit http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

CCDF Administrative Overview

Settings

Where CCDF-Subsidy school age-children are served:

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool

"Resource and referral and school-age" targeted funds:
Funds may be used to provide child care referrals, consumer education and to build the capacity of the child care system in Maine.

Other quality activities:
Funds may be used for grants or loans to providers to assist in meeting state and local standards. They can also be used for monitoring and compliance with licensing and regulatory requirements and for professional development, (including training, education and technical assistance).  In addition, they can be used for improving compensation for childcare agencies and for mental health consultation.

Provider Reimbursement Rates

Tiered Reimbursement Rate System:
Maine has a tiered reimbursement rate system. Child care programs that have been awarded a "Quality Certificate" by the Office of Child Care and Head Start receive a 10% quality stipend. Programs that have made substantial progress toward accreditation (waiting for a visit) may receive a 5% quality stipend for one year. Four levels of quality have been implemented. Providers who meet all the requirements for the Level 4 on the Quality Rating System will receive the 10% quality stipend for child care subsidy. 

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

Program Licensing Policies

Programs located in school buildings are exempt from certain regulations, including immunization records and code compliance.

Systems/Quality Supports

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)

Return to top

Statewide Initiatives

• Maine Afterschool Network. The Maine Afterschool Network aims to bring together Maine’s out-of-school time and youth workers and program administrators. The Network is funded by the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Services Division, and the C. S. Mott foundation, supported by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. Partners include Maine School Age Care Alliance, individual afterschool providers, and the University of Maine at Farmington. The Network’s goals are to promote partnerships, sustain existing afterschool programs, secure resources for new programs, and improve care quality.

• Communities for Children and Youth (C4CY). C4CY is a statewide initiative of the Maine Children’s Cabinet designed to create a partnership between state government and local communities as they work to promote positive development.  The goals of the initiative are to improve the well-being of children and youth and increase educational achievement levels in every Maine community. C4CY invites all communities to become "Partner Communities," and today C4CY has 64 active communities, representing more than 300 municipalities and 70% of the state’s population. The initiative receives funding from the Children’s Cabinet and private grants generated by the state coordinating office and local communities. Local communities from Children’s Leadership Councils develop strategic plans to promote child well-being and receive assistance from VISTA volunteers. One significant initiative of C4CY is the replication of the Colby Cares About Kids College/Community mentoring program, where Colby mentors are matched with area children and youth to improve their academic, social, and emotional well-being. This model is now replicated at University of New England Biddeford, University of Maine at Orono, and Bowdoin College.

  For more information, see http://www.state.me.us/cfc

• AfterSchool Programs for 12-15 Year Olds. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services Fund for a Healthy Maine provides funding to community- and school-based programs for youth ages 12 – 15 to provide a safe, healthy, quality environment that will enhance youths’ educational, social, cultural, emotional, and physical development through developmentally appropriate activities.  All programs have a community service component.  The program activities vary to meet the needs of youth in the area.
• The Maine Mentoring Partnership (MPP) is an initiative of Maine’s Children’s Cabinet. MPP is a partnership between government, program providers, and funders with the aim of increasing the availability of formal mentoring programs in Maine through resource development and distribution, public awareness, recruitment and referral, technical assistance and training, public policy, and data collection/tracking.

  For more information, see http://www.jmg.org/programs/mmp/.

• Maine’s Alliance for Children’s Care, Education, and Supporting Services. The Alliance is a membership organization whose members include: Maine Resource Development Centers, Inc., Maine Child Care Directors Association (MCCDA), Maine School-Age Care Alliance (MSACA), Maine Head Start Association (MHSA); Maine Family Child Care Association (MFCCA) and Maine Division for Early Childhood (DEC). Their mission is to:
  • Promote access to early care and education (for children from birth to age 12)
  • Build the community’s capacity to provide family focused services; and
  • Develop collaborative relationships with child care stakeholders, reaching out to traditional and non-traditional partners. Founded in 1997, the Alliance has formed local collaboratives, issue-based committees, and task groups and has held statewide conferences.

  For more information, see http://www.accessforme.org.

• Maine’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program was established by Congress as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.  Maine Department of Education 21st CCLC’s must link to the local School Administrative Unit (SAU) comprehensive education plan that is aligned with Learning Results focused on the learning of students and oriented to continuous improvement.  Grants are provided to establish and/or expand "community learning centers" that keep youth safe, and provide students with academic enrichment opportunities as well as additional activities designed to support their regular academic program.

  For more information, see www.maineafterschool.net.

Return to top

Notable Local Initiatives

• Guilford Laptop Computer Initiative. Since 1999, every eighth grade student at Piscataquis Community Middle School in Guilford, Maine has been provided a wireless laptop computer. The computers have been a major benefit for the rural district, helping to tie learning from community activities to the core school day. The laptop computers are used in the Guilford afterschool program and summer programs, which have included reading and thematic-based lessons. Laptop computers have made a huge impact on the summer programs, including improvements in reading, and attitudes toward school and community. Funds for computers were provided by the school district’s partnership with a local employer and 21st CCLC funds.
• Fairview Elementary Before & After School Program. In June 2005, the afterschool program in Auburn became the second accredited afterschool program in the state from the National AfterSchool Association. The program serves 80 kindergarten through third grade students per year. The program started in 2000, and is a school-based program. The program fosters dynamic relationships between the staff and the children which help the children grow mentally, physically, and socially.

Return to top

Statewide Organizations

Statewide Child Care Resource & Referral Network:

Maine Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
c/o Child and Family Opportunities
P.O. Box 648
Ellsworth, ME 04605
Phone: 800-834-4378

Statewide Afterschool Network:

Maine Afterschool Network
186 High Street,
Farmington, ME, 04938
Phone: 207-778-7575
Web: http://www.maineafterschool.net/

Communities for Children and Youth
170 State House Station,
45 Commerce Drive, Suite 1,
Augusta, ME  04333-0170
Phone in Maine: 1-800-780-6230 or 207-287-4377
Web: http://maine.gov/cabinet/cfc.html

Return to top

Additional Resources

State Child Care Administrators:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=ccdf

State TANF Contacts:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/states/tanf-dr.htm

21st Century Community Learning Centers Contacts:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/contacts.html

Return to top

Notes and Sources

Demographics

Total population, 2008: Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of children ages 5-12, 2008: Estimates of the Resident Population by Single-Year of Age and Sex for the United States and States: July 1, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau.

Percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch rate, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Note: Most recent data.

Percent of K-12 students in Title I "schoolwide" schools, 2006: Numbers and Types of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools enrolling at least 40 percent of students from poor families are eligible to use Title I funds for schoolwide programs that serve all children in the school. Note: Most recent data.

Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the largest federal funding source for child care. States receive a funding allocation determined by formula and have broad flexibility to design programs that provide child care subsidies for low-income children under the age of 13 and to enhance the quality of child care for all children. Federal CCDF funding consists of mandatory, matching, and discretionary funds. Federal law requires that states spend at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds as well as additional targeted funds on activities to improve the quality and availability of child care. CCDF administrative data in this and the following sections is from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Care Bureau, as reported by States, unless otherwise noted.

FFY09 CCDF Allocation: Funding allocations are based on appropriation and do not reflect any reallotted or redistributed funds that may occur at a later date.

FFY09 state MOE plus match: In order to receive Federal matching funds, a state must expend Maintenance of Effort funds. Note that this does not capture actual expenditures, only the minimum required to draw down all available federal funds.

FFY09 Tribal CCDF Allocation: Federal CCDF Funds are awarded directly to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) appropriates an additional $2 billion in one-time CCDF Discretionary funding available to State, Territory and Tribal Lead Agencies in FY09 as part of the economic stimulus package.

FFY07 total quality expenditures: This data includes FY07 and prior year funds expended for quality from each of the CCDF funding streams (mandatory, matching, and discretionary) and expenditures under targeted funds for infant and toddler, school-age care and resource and referral. This figure provides information obtained from state financial reports submitted for FY07.

Uses of CCDF Targeted Funds and Quality Dollars for Afterschool: Portions of CCDF discretionary funds are targeted specifically for resource and referral and school-age child care activities as well as for quality expansion. (These funds are in addition to the required 4 percent minimum quality expenditure.)

Maximum rate for school-age category: Rates are listed for center-based care, family child care, and license exempt programs; where rates vary by region or county, the rate for the most populated urban area is given.

Standardized monthly school-age rate: Monthly rate for a child, age 8, in care after school during the school year at a center in the most costly district for four hours per day, 20 days per month. Calculated (in the lowest tier of a tiered system) using information from the FY2008-2009 State CCDF Plan, including rate structures, as submitted to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Separate subsidy rates for different age ranges and Tiered Reimbursement Rate Systems: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Care Bureau. Report of State Plans FY2008-2009.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care

In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: In addition to spending TANF funds directly on child care, a state may transfer up to 30 percent of its TANF grant to CCDF. Expenditures represent TANF funds spent in FY07 that were awarded in FY07 and prior years. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2007/tanf_2007.html.

Program Licensing Policies

States with separate school-age licensing standards and states with specialized requirements for child care centers serving school-age children: National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) and National Association for Regulatory Administration, 2007 Child Care Licensing Study, see: http://www.naralicensing.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=160.

Ratio of children to adults in school-age setting: Data from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), available at: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov.

School-based, school-age programs exempt from licensing: Research conducted by Afterschool Investments, March 2008.

Systems/Quality Supports

School-age credential: NCCIC, State Professional Development System Credentials for Individuals, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/pd-credentials.html.

Statewide quality rating system: NCCIC, Quality Rating Systems: Definitions and Statewide Systems, see: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/qrs-defsystems.html.

Statewide afterschool network: National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks, see: http://www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net/.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state formula grant. Funds flow to states based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Data from the U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Office and the 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System as of July 2009.

Return to top

The Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract to The Finance Project for the Afterschool Investments project. The goals of the Afterschool Investments project include:

• Identifying ways that state and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.

Contact Us:

Email:
afterschool@financeproject.org

Web:
http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/

The Finance Project
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-1000
Web: www.financeproject.org

The Afterschool Investments project's State Profiles are designed to provide a comprehensive overview of noteworthy State and local initiatives across the country. Inclusion of an initiative in the Profiles does not represent an endorsement of a particular policy or practice.