Maine Professional Development Resources

Maine Roads to Quality (MRTQ) Professional Development Network – MRTQ Professional Development Network is the Early Care and Education Career Development Center for Maine. Established in 1999, its purpose is to promote and support professionalism in the early care and education field. Phone 1.888.900.0055.
MRTQ provides (1) Standardized, state-approved trainings covering eight Core Knowledge Areas; (2) technical assistance support to programs to move up the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) steps; (3) scholarship funds to increase the professional development of practitioners in the field of early care and education in Maine; (4) a centralized Provider Registry to track professional development and (5) collaborates with other agencies in the state to support a network of services to support early care and education programs in Maine.
Maine Early Care and Education Online Training Calendar – The calendar is a continuum of early childhood training in the state of Maine, from one-day workshops to graduate-level college course work. The target audience for the calendar is early childhood professionals.

Maine Department of Education Child Development Services Phone: 207.624.6660
The Child Development Services (CDS) system provides both Early Intervention (birth – two years) and Free Appropriate Public Education (FRAPE for ages three – five years) under the supervision of the Maine Department of Education. CDS screens and evaluates children birth through age 5 to determine if there are special needs and supports programs in serving eligible children.
Maine Department of Education Public Preschool (Four Year Old Program)
Phone: 207.624.6632
The department provides technical assistance in the development of inclusive public preschool programs.

University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disabilities Studies (CCIDS)
Phone: 1.877.475.4800
CCIDS provides information, resources and training on inclusive child care, disabilities, early childhood mental health and consultation to child care programs to facilitate the access, participation and support of children in child care and early education.
Maine Shared Services Alliance (MSSA) – Resources to improve quality and financial stability for early childhood education providers. MSSA is a statewide effort designed to encourage the development of local or regional early care and education Shared Service Alliances. The national web-based shared services platform has been customized for Maine and will provide the initial organizing structure to support emergent Alliances. The sponsoring organization is KVCAP/Educare and contact person is Laleah (Lee) Parker. MSSA is located at 97 Water Street, Waterville, ME 04901. Phone number: 207.859.1595 and email: laleahp@kvcap.org
Office of Head Start National Technical Assistance Centers – Six National Centers function as a team to provide Head Start grantees with consistent information from the Office of Head Start (OHS) across all service areas. The National Centers are comprised of expert knowledge and training teams from across the country. Centers communicate best practices and provide content-rich, usable, and practical resources to grantees.

Child Care Choices
Phone: 1.877.680.5866
This website provides families assistance in finding child care and offers other helpful resources.
Maine Parent Federation, Inc.
Phone: 1.800.870.7746 (Maine only), 207.588.1933
he Maine Parent Federation provides statewide family support activities which promote individual aspirations for all people through information, education and advocacy.

Updated: 05/23/2019