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Publications for families from UMaine Extension

For moms and dads: blogs, etc.

• Raising Maine, a monthly free magazine with lots of blogs and articles
• Circle of Moms in Maine (sign up with Facebook)
• One Mom, one dad, two kids, and her blog and adventures
• And for professionals, the Maine Early Care & Education Calendar of training opportunities through Maine Roads

Additional resources for families in Maine

State-wide

• Adoption
  Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine: Support for adoptive and foster caregivers, with services including training programs, allegation support, support groups, liaison services, mentors, and other resources.
• Autism
  Autism Society of Maine: Providing resources and support for children and families with autism, Aspergers, and other autism spectrum disorders.
• Breastfeeding
  La Leche League: Find a group in your area to learn more about breastfeeding, and to get support.
• Child Care
  Alliance for Children’s Care, Education, and Supporting Services — A.C.C.E.S.S.: is a voluntary coalition of child care providers and allies from all over Maine.
  Child Care Search: Find licensed child care facilities in your area.
  Eco-Healthy Child Care: Find an Eco-Healthy child care provider in your state.
  Maine Roads To Quality: Promoting and supporting professionalism in the early care and education field.
  Maine’s Expanding Inclusive Opportunities Initiative for Children, Families and Communities: Improve inclusive opportunities for young children with disabilities and their families.
  NACCRRA- National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies: To ensure that families in every local community have access to quality, affordable child care.
  National Association for the Education of Young Children: NAEYC’s public policy goal is a well-financed, high quality system of early childhood education for all children from birth to age eight.
  National Association for Family Child Care: Promoting quality child care by strengthening the profession of family child care.
  National Child Care Information Center: Ensuring that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services.
  National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education: Search by state for regulations and licensing.
  Zero to Three: An organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.
• Divorce/separation
  Kids First Center: Offering support groups and classes for parents and children of families experiencing divorce or separation.
• Domestic Violence
  Maine Domestic Violence Hotline Numbers: A list of hotline numbers for those experiencing domestic abuse. There are county-specific numbers, as well as the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-866-834-4357.
• Elder Care
  Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Home Visiting for New Parents
  Maine Families: Offering supportive home visits for expectant and new parents.  Free and available statewide.
• Nutrition
  Eat Well: One-on-one home visits, group teaching sessions, and Eat Well by Mail lessons.
  Women, Infants, and Children: Food packages, nutrition assistance, service referrals, and other support.
  Healthy Maine Partnerships: Programs & partnerships promoting health all over Maine.

• Programs for Kids
  Maine Discovery Museum: Offering a schedule of drop-in activities for children of all ages.
  Operation Military Kids: Provides youth program opportunities for school age, middle school and teenaged youth and connects them to support resources where they live.
  Cooperative Extension 4-H Program: A learning-by-doing program, kids can participate in clubs, special-interest groups, overnight camping, day camps, school enrichment and after-school programs.
  5210 Let’s Go!: Offers information on the importance of healthy eating and active living in children.
• Support
  211 Maine: A comprehensive statewide directory of over 8,000 health and human services available in Maine.
  American Academy of Pediatrics: Dedicated to the health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
  Born Learning: Helping parents, grandparents and caregivers explore ways to turn every day moments into fun learning opportunities.
  Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program: Offering information to reduce the risk of lead poisoning in children.
  University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Contact your county office to see get information about local resources and information that are available to you.
  University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies: Enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and their families in Maine and beyond.
  G.E.A.R. Parent Network: Offers encouragement for parents through support group meetings and by telephone, information on resources, workshops on topics of interest, and local conferences.
  Maine Department of Health and Human Services: Connects individuals and families to a wide variety of programs and services throughout Maine, with the goal of keeping Maine people healthy and leading productive lives.
  Maine Home Visiting Programs: A program where trained visitors come to parents and share new and helpful ways to parent.
  Maine Kids-Kin: Provides services to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and other family members who are raising relatives’ children.
  Maine Parent Federation: Offering workshops, newsletters, a library of reading material, online trainings, and help finding resources for parents.
  National Women’s Law Center: Provides a number of different resources to women with childcare, employment and legal issues.
  Raising Maine: Connecting mothers across the state, and offering a subscription to the monthly Raising Maine magazine.
  Raising Readers: Encourages reading and promotes literacy by providing Family Practice and Pediatric providers in Maine new books to give at well child visits from 2 months to 5 years.
  The Daily Parent: Promotes early literacy in children.
  The Maine Humanities Council: Promotes strong communities and informed citizens by providing Mainers with opportunities to explore the power and pleasure of ideas.

Androscoggin County

• Advocates for Children: Supporting parents through education, workshops, events, and home visiting.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Aroostook County

• Wings for Children and Families: Case management for families with children with severe emotional disturbances.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Cumberland County

• Southern Maine Parent Awareness: Information, support, and training for families of children with disabilities.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Greater Portland Mothers of Multiples: Information, support, recreational activities and charitable activities for mothers and expectant mothers of multiples.

Franklin County

• Franklin County Children’s Task Force: Parent education, first-time parent support, and other programs that address issues such as bullying and divorce.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Hancock County

• Downeast Health Services, Inc: Education, home visiting, WIC, dental clinic, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and other programs for families and young children.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Kennebec County

• Children’s Center of Augusta: Providing services to children with disabilities, including case management, occupational, physical, speech/language, and developmental therapies, preschool services, and parent education.
• Kennebec Valley Community Action Program: Providing services to families and parents, such as home visiting and parenting classes.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Knox County

• Home Counselors, Inc: Case management, counseling for families, and supervised family visitation services.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Teen and Young Parent Program of Knox County: Services for young parents, such as adult mentors, weekly playgroups, connecting parents with education programs, home visits, and other information and resources.

Lincoln County

• Home Counselors, Inc: Case management, counseling for families, and supervised family visitation services.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Oxford County

• Child Health Center: Education for young parents, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and preschool services.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Penobscot County

• Community Health and Counseling Services: Treatment and support services for families and children.
• Spruce Run: Offering safety planning, legal services, support groups, shelter, help for children, transitional services, and a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-863-9909.
• Penquis Resource Development Center: Provides information on finding child care that meets the needs of individual families in Penobscot & Piscataquis Counties.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Wings for Children and Families: Case management for families with children with severe emotional disturbances.

Piscataquis County

• Penquis Resource Development Center: Provides information on finding child care that meets the needs of individual families in Penobscot & Piscataquis Counties.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Wings for Children and Families: Case management for families with children with severe emotional disturbances.

Sagadahoc County

• Home Counselors, Inc: Case management, counseling for families, and supervised family visitation services.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Somerset County

• Children’s Center of Augusta: Providing services to children with disabilities, including case management, occupational, physical, speech/language, and developmental therapies, preschool services, and parent education.
• Kennebec Valley Community Action Program: Providing services to families and parents, such as home visiting and parenting classes.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.

Waldo County

• Broadreach Family & Community Services: Early childhood education, case management, parent education, counseling and support.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Waldo Community Action Partners: Head Start, dental services, food programs, transportation, and other programs.

Washington County

• Downeast Health Services, Inc: Education, home visiting, WIC, dental clinic, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and other programs for families and young children.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Washington County Children’s Program: Case management, autism consultation and developmental therapy, dental program and other services for children.
• Wings for Children and Families: Case management for families with children with severe emotional disturbances.

York County

• CareLink: Helping parents access affordable, quality child care.
• Parent Resource Center: Providing information and referrals for child care services, parenting classes, parent support groups, one-on-one parent education, and the Family Access Program.
• Senior Companion Program: Individuals age 55 and older serve as volunteers providing companionship to homebound adults.
• Southern Maine Parent Awareness: Information, support, and training for families of children with disabilities.

*do you see (or not see) a missing resource? Please e-mail us at  extension.thegrowingyears@maine.edu to let us know!