United Ways of Maine 2014 Public Policy Platform: Early Childhood

United Ways of Maine have selected early childhood as its top priority for its community impact work. To achieve meaningful community-wide impact in the area of early childhood, United Ways of Maine will employ multiple strategies, including advancing sound public policy and engaging in advocacy. Specifically, the following policies have bee identified as collective priorities:

1. Increase high-quality child care and pre-kindergarten programs:
   Support the Quality for ME-Maine's Early Care and Education Rating System, child care subsidies, Head Start, universal pre-kindergarten, and other specific measures to improve the availability of quality child care for families.
2. Increase parent support, engagement, and education through research-based home visiting programs:
   Support Maine Families programs, Early Head Start and other family supports.
3. Maintain support for Fund for a Healthy Maine:
   Ensure that the Fund continues to support health prevention and early prevention activities, including home visiting, child care subsidies, and Head Start.
4. Strengthen financial stability for low-income households with children:
   Support a robust earned income tax credit and child tax credit.
5. Promote a statewide kindergarten screening tool and process:
   Support development and adoption of a statewide screening tool that assists children, families and schools, and provides a statewide kindergarten readiness measurement for future planning.

In addition to the above early childhood priorities, United Ways of Maine will continue to support 2-1-1 Maine, such as by educating policymakers about the importance of 2-1-1 and by sharing regular call data analysis.

For more about the research that illustrates the importance of these policies, visit one or more of the following websites:

• A Path To A Better Future: The Fiscal Payoff of Investment in Early Childhood Development in Maine
• Making Maine Work: Critical Investments for the Maine Economy, Maine Development Foundation
• ACE Study . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and Findings A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy,  Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/reports_and_working_papers/policy_framework/
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities