Parenting Resources in Maine

Parenting your new baby is the most important job you will ever have. It is also the hardest! That’s why you will love getting the information you can trust, connections to resources in your community, and an extra boost of confidence from the Maine Families program.

Child Development and Parent-Child Interactions

• CDC Developmental Milestones (Center for Disease Control, CDC)
• VROOM — Baby brain-building tips by text and more
• Just In Time Parenting Tips — Newsletters specific to your child’s age
• 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return (Harvard)
• Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) Developmental Screening (Maine DHHS)
• Born Learning: Explore ways to turn every day moments into fun learning opportunities.

Development-Centered Parenting Topics

• Preparing for Parenthood (Zero to Three)
• Positive Parenting Approaches (Zero to Three) — Responsive caregiving
• Maine Breastfeeding Coalition
• La Leche League – Find a group in your area to learn more about breastfeeding.
• Safe Sleep Maine
• American Academy of Pediatrics — Infant and child health information
• Sparks Video Series (Mount Sinai) — Brief infant/child development videos
• Zero to Three – Developmental Information for Families
• Lead Information – CDC Lead Poisoning Information
• Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) – One-on-one home visits, group teaching sessions, and Eat Well newsletters.
• Women, Infants, and Children – Food packages, nutrition assistance, service referrals, and other support.

Family Well-Being

• Helping Kids Grieve (Sesame Street Communities) – Child well-being resources
• Offering Comfort (Sesame Street Communities) – Child well-being resources
• Resilience in Times of Stress (University of Maine Cooperative Extension)
• Maine Licensed Child Care Search
• Help Me Grow (HMG) Maine (Maine DHHS) – Connection to Maine resources for parents
• UMaine Extension Publications for families
• G.E.A.R. Parent Network – Offers support groups, information and workshops on topics of interest for parents of children with emotional and behavioral health concerns
• Kids First Center – Center for co-parent education and family resilience
• Helpline Numbers – A list of helpline numbers in Maine
• 211 Maine – A comprehensive statewide directory of over 8,000 health and human services available in Maine.
• Pine Tree Legal – Legal Information in Maine
• Parenting Education and Support Groups – Offered through local Prevention Councils