Maine Program Development Resources

• Early Learning in Maine – A joint initiative of the Maine Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
• Maine Department of Health and Human Services Early Care and Education Quality Rating System
• Maine Department of Education Child Development Services Program Approval Process

Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Education collaboratively developed the following early learning guidelines:

• Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards (MELDS) [2015] – a revision that replaces the State of Maine Early Childhood Learning Guidelines (MELG), 2005, and serves as a guide for all early childhood educators’ efforts to improve professional practice and programs for young children from the age of three until kindergarten entrance.Research and practice are constantly informing the field of education and Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards reflects the most current knowledge to date. The document can be used within and across a wide range of early learning settings: public preschool, Head Start, child care (both family and center-based), nursery schools, home visiting, specialized services and informal care settings. Maine’s Early Learning and Development Standards is designed to promote greater collaboration and consistency across systems by aligning with and creating a continuum of practice from birth through third grade.
• Infant-Toddler Early Learning Guidelines –  document offers parents of infants and toddlers, early childhood professionals and policy makers a set of guidelines about development and early learning.

Updated: 11/07/2023