Maine Families Newsletter, April 2025

National Home Visiting Week

We are celebrating and honoring 25 years of home visiting in Maine during the first national Home Visiting Appreciation Week. This is an observance to celebrate and recognize family visitors and the positive impact they make on maternal and child health outcomes. Home visiting professionals empower and work alongside parents to build confidence and resilience. Utilizing the Parents as Teachers evidence-based model, home visiting supports healthy birth outcomes, increases family self sufficiency, and helps children enter school fully prepared to succeed.

I am especially proud of our compassionate, skilled, knowledgeable, and hardworking Maine Families team and the work they do in Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and Cumberland Counties. A special shout out and thank you to Ellen Baker, Ruth Griffin, Hannah Pennington, Brooke Sanborn, Claudia Williamson, and Celena Zacchai.

With great appreciation,
Jen Doherty, Maine Families Mid-Coast Program Manager

Activity Spotlight: Egg Carton Game (14-24 months)

This activity helps encourage one to one correspondence as children work to put the pom poms into the holes where the eggs go. One to one correspondence is an early math skill. It also encourages social emotional learning by helping children learn to take turns when placing the pom poms. Additionally, they work on their fine motor skills when manipulating the objects.

Group Connections at the Rumpus Room

Each month we offer a free play group for Maine Families parents and children at the Rumpus Room. The Rumpus Room is an indoor play space in Brunswick that includes a ball pit, train set, climbing structures, a baby toddler area, pretend play space and infant room. Our Maine Families Visitors are at each group to greet families and facilitate social connections.