In Heather Perry’s Dec. 16 Blog, the Superintendent of Gorham Schools provided an update on the Maine Department of Education grant that the department had applied for as part of the Little Rams Early Childhood Project.
Superintendent Perry stated, “I’ve shared our intentions to open two new Pre-K classrooms with half-day programs for Gorham families starting in the Fall of 2023 in previous blogs. I also shared that we had written a grant application to the MDOE to assist in funding some of the one-time upfront costs including playground upgrades, and the purchase of curriculum materials and classroom equipment. Just wanted to share that we found out last week WE WERE AWARDED THE GRANT!”
Photo credit: Gorham School DepartmentThe Little Rams Early Childhood Project is a partnership of schools, childcare programs, parents, educators, businesses, and local business and organization leaders. They have been meeting for over a year to collect data about the Gorham community and to develop the draft of a comprehensive plan to support children ages birth through age five. On October 5, the team updated the Gorham School Committee on their findings and next steps.
The Project surveyed childcare providers and parents and discovered that 63% of the programs report staff shortages, 67% of the parents report insufficient access to programs, and 75% spend $300 per week for childcare. Using the data that they have collected, they have drafted a plan to increase the availability, access, and affordability of childcare programs, to strengthen and support the quality of childcare, intervention, and educational services, to strengthen “child find” practices and direct services and to improve the alignment of programs and transitions between them for families and children.
As part of the “Bright Futures for Little Rams Plan,” this grant is very important. It provides not only needed funding for the beginning of the early childhood classes but also verification that the committee is heading in the right direction. The team continues to meet in subcommittees to plan interventions and programs to meet the needs of the youngest members of our community.
Perry continued, “We are so excited at the opportunities this will bring to our schools, to our students, to our families, and to our community! We have three working groups that just started their work earlier this week on putting the “meat on the bones” of our plans and we are planning several informational events for community early care providers and families to learn more about this program over the course of the next few months so please stay tuned! For now, if you want to know more about how this program fits into our overall plan as a community for early care, please review our “Bright Futures For Little Rams Plan” at https://tinyurl.com/vsj33bfy with questions.”