Maine Roads Staff

What is Maine Roads to Quality?

In 1992, the Maine Department of Human Services, Office of Child Care and Head Start, convened 100 early care and education stakeholders to begin a two-year process to develop recommendations for a career development system. The recommendations were published in 1994 in a document entitled, Pathways to Quality: Toward Development of a Comprehensive Training Plan for Child Care Practitioners in Maine. In 1999, the Maine Department of Human Services contracted with the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, to establish the Early Care and Education Career Development Center and manage the comprehensive, coordinated career development system.

The purpose of Maine Roads to Quality: Early Care and Education Career Development Center is to promote and support professionalism in the early care and education field. The Maine Roads Advisory Board defined the following vision and mission:

Vision

All of Maine’s children will be in quality learning environments.

Mission

• Promote the quality of early care and education.

• Address the training and education needs of all early care and education professionals.

• Develop multiple ways for professionals to achieve their career goals.

• Increase linkages between training and formal education.

• Recognize and celebrate professionalism.

• Monitor the effectiveness of the career development system.

• Collaborate with and unite partners to achieve the above.

With funding from the Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Child Care and Head Start, Maine Roads to Quality provides the following services in support of the above vision and mission:

• Maine Roads Career Lattice and Professional Registry
• Maine Roads Core Knowledge Training Program
• Maine Roads Trainer Registry
• Maine Child Care Leadership Institutes
• Maine Roads Scholarship Program
• Maine Roads Accreditation Project