Category: ECE Information

Posted in ECE Information

Call for Proposals for Maine’s 2022 Statewide ECE Conference

Posted on by fccamaine

First, mark your calendar for the 2022 Statewide Early Childhood Education Conference being held on October 28th and 29th, at the Cross Center, in Bangor!

Second, consider the possibility of sharing your knowledge by presenting at the conference.

Connecting Early Childhood Education; Birth through Eight Across the State is an opportunity for educators of young children to re-connect in person, share best practices, build up our communities, learn from one another and advocate for early childhood education. The 2022 Statewide ECE Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit a proposal for a workshop session at the 2022 statewide conference. This event will explore a wide range of topics for professionals working with and on behalf of children from birth through elementary school. The workshops offered throughout the two days will facilitate success in elementary schools, out of school time programming, Early Head Start and Head Start, family child care, and center-based preschool and infant and toddler settings.

We are putting out a request for proposals for the following areas:

  • Learning through play
  • Child Development
  • Brain based learning
  • Social emotional, language, literacy, STEM, math, integrate content
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, cultural competency
  • Early learning environments
  • Outdoor learning environments and nature based learning
  • Mental health, trauma, and creating positive childhood experiences
  • Teaching and caring for multi-age groups of children
  • Deepening connections with children and families
  • Multi-tiered systems of support, inclusion, special education.
  • Public policy and advocacy in Early Childhood Education
  • Business skills for child care owners and administrators

Please submit your proposal by Friday, June 3, 2022 by completing the Call for
Proposal Form.

Posted in ECE Information, Legislation

Purposed Changes to IDEA part B 619 – CDS / Child Development Services

Posted on by fccamaine

The draft bill: An Act To Reorganize the Provision of Services for Infants, Toddlers, and Children with Disabilities from Birth to 6 Years of Age and Extend the Age of IDEA Eligibility to 22, that has been worked on in the Education Committee purposes that Part B 619 services (Free and Appropriate Public Education) for 3 and 4 year olds would transfer to SAU (School Districts) on July 1st, 2023.

There are many groups that feel the proposal lacks sufficient detail and fails to address significant concerns of stakeholders including child care providers and families. A variety of organizations have expressed their thoughts and are asking that this bill not be adopted right now.

The Legislature’s Education Committee will hold a public hearing on this plan on Wednesday, March 23. You can add your voice by contacting your Senator and Representative and asking them to please slow down the process of transitioning early childhood special education services from the CDS system to School Administrative Units.

We post our testimony and joint testimony with MaineAEYC on this site, but feel it’s important to also provide you with examples of the call to action from other concerned groups. Below find a copy of the Action Alert sent out from Maine Parent Federation. (*The date in the letter for the public hearing is wrongly listed as the 24th. Wednesday is the 23rd.) Following that is information from Maine Children’s Alliance.

—– Original Message Maine Parent Federation —–

Family Voice Needed

Call to Action – Family Voice Needed

Proposed Changes to Child Developmental Services (CDS)

Will Greatly Impact Children with Special Needs Ages 0-5

Maine’s Department of Education (MDOE) has proposed legislation which will greatly impact services delivered by CDS. The proposal lacks sufficient detail, does not address significant concerns of stakeholders, and proposes a timeline that could be devastating for children, families, providers, schools, and taxpayers.

What does the proposal do?

The proposed legislation by MDOE would end CDS’s oversight of a Free & Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and the related services for children ages 3-5 and move both to the local School Administrative Unit (SAU) as of July, 1 2023.

How will this impact your family?

This aggressive timeline does not sufficiently address the impact on children and families. It could mean less parental choice in where and how your child receives services, a compromised Least Restrictive Environment (the ability for your child to receive their services within their community with their typically developing peers), and cause confusing transitions between CDS and local SAU’s. 

There are also no processes for contracting with childcare providers or Head Start centers. This could make obtaining childcare close to home or work challenging.

Finally, there is no detailed plan for SAU readiness which include funding, staffing or transportation. Ensuring that SAUs are ready and able to provide quality services which are appropriate and available is important.

What can you do?

Your voice is critical and time is not on our side. A public hearing will be held next Wednesday, March 24. Please contact your Senators, Representatives and the Educational and Cultural Affairs Committee; when emailing the committee please include Committee Clerk, Elias Murphy.

Your statement does not have to be detailed. Speak to how the changes will impact your family and ask them to slow the process down to explore other options to meet the needs of children without doing harm.

Speak up for Maine’s young children with developmental delays (from Maine Children’s Alliance)
Early intervention can help children make progress toward achievement of age-appropriate developmental milestones, be more prepared for kindergarten and beyond, have more positive interactions with their peers, and reduce the need for services during their school years.  Yet in Maine, too many children haven’t been receiving these services early enough. While some progress has been made since, in 2019-2020, Maine was tied for 50th in the nation for infants receiving early intervention services while our special education rates for older children are one of the highest in the nation. 

Ask legislators to reject proposed legislation to move services to public schools and to instead create a better plan for Child Development Services. 

Tell them to listen to the needs of families and establish an improved system for delivering early intervention services that will better meet the needs of the children and families who depend on them to thrive.
Ask them to: Reject a plan that did not include input from families or the staff of CDS / Eliminate wait lists / Improve identification of children who need early intervention / Bring Maine’s eligibility for infants and toddlers in line with the rest of New England.

As providers we know first hand about the impact of transitions on young children, the importance of team work with families, and the delays in getting services through CDS because of the lack of specialized professional in Maine. We also know how positive IDEA C is for birth – 2 because of the team approach it works from. If you or your families have concerns about the changes that will occur if this bill is adopted, we encourage you to take a few minutes and add your voice.

Posted in ECE Information, Legislation

Add your Voice!

Posted on by fccamaine

FCCAM’s Public Policy Committee works jointly with MaineAEYC’s Public Policy Committee on issues that impact child care providers in Maine. The following is from MaineAEYC’s 11/17/22 Newsletter ~ It provides information on the legislative process, the difference possible paths for $12 million for child care wages and how you can add your voice.

There are two paths forward for investments in child care educator wages this legislative session.  What does this mean?
* LD 1652 and LD 1995 both have the same language to invest in a child care wage supplement program. 

* LD 1652: An Act to Build a Child Care System by Recruiting and Retaining Maine’s Early Childhood Workforce is sponsored by Speaker Ryan Fecteau and was introduced last legislative session. A public hearing was held and the bill got carried over to this session.  Last week, a work session was held by the IDEA Committee and received unanimous support.  This bill will head to the House and Senate floor for voting. 

* LD 1995: An Act To Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government, General Fund and Other Funds is the Supplemental budget proposal from the Mills’ Administration which also included the over $12 million proposal for child care educator wage supplements.  A public hearing was held and the Health and Human Services Committee will report back to the Appropriations Committee their 7-4 to include this proposal in the budget.  The Appropriations Committee will hold a work session likely next week and then the Supplement Budget bill will head to the House and Senate for voting. 

With two paths forward, the wage supplements can either be funded through the budget (this is ideal), or “off the table” which is money left outside of the budget to fund bills. 
What can you do to advocate? 
Over the next few days you can reach out to members of the Appropriations Committee and ask them to support the proposal for over $12 million to invest in child care educator wages in LD 1955.  

You can locate members by scrolling down on the left hand side of their Committee page. Locate a member of the Appropriations Committee
Posted in ECE Information, Legislation

Advocacy Works! Bill to Raise Wages for Child Care Workers Moves Forward!

Posted on by fccamaine

Maine has a strong coalition that supports children and families. That coalition has worked together the past few years in support of Speaker Ryan Fecteau’s bill: LD 1652: An Act To Build a Child Care System by Recruiting and Retaining Maine’s Early Childhood Educators Workforce. As part of that coalition, FCCAM’s Public Policy Committee has provided insight during coalition work groups into what family child care providers are experiencing, provided written testimony on behalf of FCCAM for legislative committee hearings, and encouraged family child care providers to add their individual voices.

The first week of March the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee received over a 100 submitted written testimonies, and heard additional oral testimonies, in support of the over $12 million proposed in LD 1995 to support wage supplements for child care professionals.

The following was a March 8, 2022 Release from the Office of Governor Janet T. Mills Governor ~

Janet Mills today applauded the Legislature’s Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business (IDEA) for unanimously supporting a bill sponsored by Speaker Ryan Fecteau to raise the wages of Maine’s child care workers. Governor Mills has proposed $12 million to fund the legislation in her supplemental budget to increase pay for child care workers and early childhood educators to strengthen our child care system across Maine.

“We know that lack of quality affordable child care prevents people from taking jobs, from starting new businesses, from moving to rural communities, and it deprives kids of important developmental care. We’ve worked hard to train more child care workers and to pay them what they deserve, and we’ve built new child care facilities and created more child care slots to better serve Maine families, but we can do more,” said Governor Mills. “I support Speaker Fecteau’s proposal to raise the pay of child care workers in Maine, which is why I included funding to get it done in my supplemental budget. I applaud lawmakers for voting unanimously to move this legislation forward and I look forward to continuing to do everything we can for working families across our state.”

In addition to her supplemental budget, Governor Mills is making other historic investments in accessible child care in Maine, including the first-ever Child Care Plan for Maine (PDF) developed by the Office of Child and Family Services that invests approximately $120 million in American Rescue funds to help Maine’s child care system recover and to improve child care quality, accessibility, and affordability over the long-term. With this funding, Governor Mills has already provided $200 monthly stipends to 7,000 child care workers to encourage them to work in this valuable profession.

Separately under her Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, Governor Mills is investing another $25 million in federal funds to help renovate, expand, or build new child care facilities and expand early childhood education programs.

These investments build on the Mills Administration’s efforts to support Maine families’ access to child care before and during the pandemic, including helping low-income parents who receive subsidies by waiving their contribution to child care fees, distributing $10 million in federal CARES Act funding directly to providers through stipends and grants, and making available $8.4 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds to reimburse providers for COVID-19-related business costs. The state additionally maintains the Child Care Choices website, which allows families to locate and connect with providers in their area.

Posted in ECE Information, Legislation

Supporting Maine’s Child Care Workforce

Posted on by fccamaine

from FCCAM Public Policy Committee ~

This joint letter from organizations working on behalf of the child care workforce has been sent to Gov. MIlls. We are the workforce behind the workforce.

Dear Governor Mills,

Thank you for all you are doing to support Maine’s fragile child care industry during this crucial and unsettling time.  Such support has made the difference for many programs and enabled them to continue to serve working families.  Sadly, that is not the case for all providers and families. We are writing to you today to ask for your continued help and support during this critical time.

As you know Maine’s child care sector still faces many challenges:

  • 19% reduction in the childcare workforce since 2019, while program waitlists soar and families struggle to find care
  • 27% decrease in the number of family child care providers in Maine since 2010
  • 58% of Maine child care centers surveyed in 2021 reported being understaffed
  • The poverty rate for early educators working in child care in Maine is 16.5%, much higher than for Maine workers in general (9.4%) and 8.3 times as high as their K-8 colleagues (2%). 

Those of us who lead child care programs are making very difficult decisions while we face unprecedented staffing challenges: short term closings, shortening the hours we are open each day, closing for one day every week, closing down classrooms, and adding dozens more families to our waiting lists that we cannot serve right now.

Through federal Covid-19 relief funding, Maine has offered $200 per child care educator per month wage supplement as part of the child care stabilization grants from Oct. 2021 through Sept. 2022. We know that parents cannot afford to pay the much higher tuition costs that would be incurred to raise compensation in child care programs without public funding. As child care administrators, directors, owners, and teachers we can tell you that this public investment is working and we need this stable source of funding to continue. 

The cost to run this statewide wage supplement program will be about $20 million per year, to allow for a tiered approach to supplements that honors years of experience and credentials and degrees earned. We are asking you to invest in the workforce behind the workforce, the essential early educators of Maine, with $20 million of ongoing state funding. Maine needs to support the vital child care workforce, just as we are valuing and investing in our colleagues in K-12 and other direct care and education sectors. Thank you for your leadership and steadfast commitment to child care in Maine.

Sincerely,

YMCA Alliance of Northern New England

Family Child Care Association of Maine

Maine Head Start Directors Association

Maine Association for the Education of Young Children

Posted in ECE Information, Legislation

 Fuel Gas Detectors 

Posted on by fccamaine

UPDATE (1/6/22): Licensed Child Care programs of any type/size are not included in this law, at this time. Our understanding is the question of why that is not the case has been repeatedly raised with the wider community learning about this law.

The Office of State Fire Marshal is ready to help providers with any questions around this law, appropriate detectors and even best installation location. Call:  (207) 626-3870 and ask for Brad Loon.

FCCAM knows laws can be changed and encourages providers to be proactive in regards to the safety of children in their care (and for fcc providers for their own families), if you have any appliance fueled by propane, natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, consider getting the appropriate number of fuel gas detectors this new law is requiring for other businesses servicing children.

As small business owners of fcc programs, while we focus on what we can read in the FCC Licensing Rule at hand, it’s important to remember that outside agencies have changes that can impact that Rule. FCCAM just became aware of a new law passed by the Maine legislature in June of 2021 that might impact some fcc programs. We are not aware of any providers receiving any notification from OCFS on this, but from our reading of this law Family Child Care programs might fall under it. We will be reaching out to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and OCFS for clarification.

The Fuel Gas Detector law goes into effect on January 1, 2022.

Under the new law, MRS Title 25 §2469: Internal Security and Public Safety; Part 6: Fire Prevention and Fire Protection; Chapter 317: Preventive Measures and Restrictions; Subpart 2469: Fuel Gas Detectors, the owners of these properties will be required to install Fuel Gas Detectors. In accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements, at least one approved fuel gas detector must be installed in every room containing an appliance fueled by propane, natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas for the types of buildings listed below.

These ARE NOT the same device as a Carbon Monoxide detector and will not replace the need for those within buildings in Maine. Fuel gas detectors may be powered by any of the following methods, battery, plugged into an electrical outlet or hard wired. Regardless of the power source, the units must be maintained and installed per the manufacturer’s instructions. Fuel gas detectors will only be required to be placed within the room where a propane, natural gas or liquified petroleum gas fueled appliance is located.  

The building owner shall install, or cause to be installed, in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements at least one approved fuel gas detector in every room containing an appliance fueled by propane, natural gas or any liquified petroleum gas in: 

  • Each unit in any building of multifamily occupancy 
  • A fraternity house, sorority house or dormitory that is affiliated with an educational facility 
  • A children’s home, emergency children’s shelter, children’s residential care facility, shelter for homeless children or specialized children’s home. 
  • A hotel, motel or inn 
  • A mixed use occupancy that contains a dwelling unit 
  • A business occupancy 
  • A mercantile occupancy 
  • An assembly occupancy 
Posted in Business Practice, ECE Information

Latest CDC COVID -19 Guidance

Posted on by fccamaine

What to do about COVID-19 continues to be an area of discussions among providers. The most recent is about whether to follow the new CDC guidance on COVID-19 or continue with the current practices. First, a reminder that CDC recommendations do not supersede state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations. As long as providers comply with state and local regulations, as small business owners, we are able to make the decision that works for our individual situation/program.

Whatever you decide works for you, please remember to have it as part of your written policies. With any change to policy, it is best practice to have parents sign off on being informed of the change. This is easy to do with a simple 1 page signature sheet you keep with your records.

Both the past guidance and new recommendations will continue to be available on the website. You can find them in the Menu under “Current Covid Info”.

Here’s what we’ve pulled from the CDC site as of 12/27/21:

CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation, if asymptomatic, from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days. Isolation is to be followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others, to minimize the risk of infecting others.

The ongoing scientific studying of COVID-19 and the current Omicron variant, is demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness. This is generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. The change in isolation recommendation reflects this.

The CDC also updated the recommended quarantine period for those exposed to COVID-19.

  • For people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose (or more than 2 months after the J&J vaccine) and not yet boosted, CDC now recommends quarantine for 5 days followed by strict mask use for an additional 5 days.
  • If a 5-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.
  • Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure. 
  • For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 at day 5 after exposure.
  • If symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19.

CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky: “The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather.”

Data from South Africa and the United Kingdom demonstrate that vaccine effectiveness against infection for two doses of an mRNA vaccine is approximately 35%. A COVID-19 vaccine booster dose restores vaccine effectiveness against infection to 75%.

COVID-19 vaccination decreases the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.

CDC strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 5 and older and boosters for everyone 16 and older.

Posted in Business Practice, ECE Information

Still Time to Enroll in Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace!

Posted on by fccamaine

As self-employed small business owners, family child care providers today have 2 options for health care coverage: insure under a partner’s employer-sponsored coverage or purchase our own through an Affordable Care Act Health Care Marketplace. In the past, many providers found ACA coverage while an option, still expensive and/or had high deductibles. If we have employees we are not usually in a place to provide them with health insurance and they face the same options: self coverage or partner’s. It’s important to know that with changes to the law, the Affordable Care Act Health Care Marketplace has become more affordable.

Maine now has their own Health Insurance Marketplace: CoverME.gov. Providers and their staff should check out their options before enrollment ends. It’s pretty easy. Create an account, fill out an application, and enroll in quality, affordable coverage.

Some Things to Know about the Marketplace Open Enrollment:

  1. Open Enrollment Period started on November 1 and runs until January 15, 2022.
  2. Consumers who enroll by December 15 can get coverage that starts January 1, 2022.
  3. The American Rescue Plan has provided increased financial assistance to lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs, making coverage more affordable.
  4. Health plans are available that offer doctor visits, emergency care, behavioral health care, preventive care , hospital care, and prescription drugs.
  5. There is more help available. To shop and compare health plans use Maine’s Plan Compare tool. It will take you through a few simple steps to find the right health insurance plan for your needs and budget.

*Sample of what might see as a plan from the Plan Compare tool for a single individual 57 years of age with income at $45000. There were 49 plan options.

CoverME.gov is operated by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services P.O. BOX 616 | AUGUSTA, ME 04332-6626 | 1-866-636-0355 | TTY: 711

Posted in DHHS / OCFS, ECE Information

Stay Informed!

Posted on by fccamaine

Here’s recent news from the Governor’s Office and OCFS that FCC providers should be aware of ~

“The health of Maine people, the health of our economy, and the health of our future depend on three things: our ability to put the pandemic behind us, our ability to tackle the economic challenges immediately in front of us, and the ability to solve the longstanding, systemic problems that have held us back for decades,” said Governor Janet Mills. “These initial investments, which deliver crucial financial relief to small businesses and Maine people, are a down-payment on these efforts. When combined with our forthcoming investments to rebuild our workforce, expand access to child care and housing, and support new, innovative industries, we will build a stronger state and a better economy that provides people with good-paying jobs, the opportunity to put down roots, and an unmatched quality of life.”

Small Business Health Insurance Premium Relief Program

The Small Business Health Insurance Premium Relief Program provides premium payment relief to Maine small businesses who are enrolled in a fully-insured, community-rated small group comprehensive health insurance plan. A small group plan is a plan that covers 50 or fewer employees.

  • The program is part of Governor Janet Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan. It is paid for by $39 million in federal funding from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act.
  • The program will run from November 1, 2021 to April 30, 2023, depending upon the continued availability of funding.
  • All insurance carriers in Maine offering fully-insured small group plans in Maine are participating in this program. The insurers participating are Aetna, Anthem, CHO (Community Health Options), Harvard Pilgrim, and United Healthcare.
  • More detailed information and sample carrier letters are provided in the linked documents below: Information Sheet – General, overall information about the program Carrier Questions & Answers – A running list of Q&As from the carriers Draft Letter from Insurers to Small Group Employers – Sample language for carriers to use in an initial communication with their small group plans about the requirements of the program Draft Notice from Insurers to Small Group Employers, to Include with Monthly Invoices – Sample language for carriers to include with monthly invoices sent to small group plans

Business owners should first contact their insurance carrier with any questions about the credit or their monthly invoices.  Business owners may also contact the Bureau of Insurance at 1-800-300-5000 or by email: Insurance.PFR@Maine.gov, for additional information.

The Maine Jobs & Recovery Small Business Grant Program

The Governor announced today that her Administration is launching the Maine Jobs & Recovery Small Business Grant Program. The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development is putting forward $5 million of the $20 million allocated to the program in total for grants targeted at supporting capital intensive businesses that still need immediate short-term help to sustain operations.

More specifically, the $5 million will be put towards expense-based grant relief to help businesses and non-profits with significant expenses related to loans and interest they incurred in order to sustain operations. The loans must be in deferral as a direct result of the pandemic and the business must demonstrate at least 20 percent lost revenue in the year 2021. Applications for the program will open November 1, 2021.

The remaining $15 million will then be made available in April 2022 in order for businesses and non-profits to easily utilize tax returns to demonstrate financial impact of the pandemic on their businesses and, therefore, qualify for a funding based on need. This approach – stabilizing businesses most in need now followed by larger grants later on – was developed by DECD in conjunction with the business community.

This new program comes on top of the more than $273 million the Administration has already provided in Federal support to 5,224 businesses and non-profits during the pandemic.

Moving Forward

In coming weeks, the Mills Administration will continue to announce more Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan investments to address known, systemic challenges that have constrained Maine’s ability to grow and thrive, with priority focus on investments to grow and develop Maine’s workforce.

With more than $300 million in planned workforce investments through education and skills training programs, workforce housing, childcare, worker attraction, and business supports, the Jobs Plan aims to make a measurable impact on Maine’s workforce trends and build an economy poised for future growth.

Workforce investments in the Jobs Plan include $105 million for workforce programs at Maine schools, community colleges, and universities; $50 million for affordable and workforce housing, $20 million to expand Pre-K and childcare infrastructure, and programs targeted directly at addressing pressing workforce needs in health care and clean energy fields.

Other investments from the Jobs Plan include critical infrastructure investments, such as expanding broadband, enhancing state parks, accelerating weatherization and energy efficiency projects, and upgrading municipal stormwater and drinking water projects.

Funding for the Jobs Plan is through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which allocated $4.5 billion in stimulus funds to Maine earlier this year.

Coordination of the Jobs Plan is led by the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services and the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, through a new Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan Office.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)  Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) would like to share a helpful resource for Child Care Providers to utilize when determining the total amount of reimbursement per child when factoring in OCFS’s current incentives.  

Child Care Subsidy Program Reimbursement Initiatives

Providers can find specific examples for their county in the linked Child Care Subsidy Program Reimbursement Initiatives. Here’s an example of what you will see per county:

Posted in ECE Information

Help Spread the Word! Share with Your Families

Posted on by fccamaine

sharing information from Maine Equal Justice ~

As many as 25,000 Mainers who don’t usually make enough money to file taxes may be missing out on their payments for the expanded Child Tax Credit.

Here are the most important things to know:

  • Families, including those with little or no income, are eligible to receive up to $3,600 for each child under 6 years old, and $3,000 for each child between 6 and 17 years old.
  • Some families will not receive these payments automatically, and need to act now to receive the Child Tax Credit payment this year.
  • The credit is not a loan and will not count against federally-funded public benefits, like TANF, SNAP, or MaineCare. It will count against state or town funded programs like General Assistance.
  • Immigrant families are eligible for the Child Tax Credit, as long as the child has a Social Security number (parents do not need to have a Social Security Number).

Families can get free, personal help filing for the child tax credit from a CA$H Navigator by calling any of the numbers below:

Capital Area CA$H: (207) 621-34430

Wabanaki CA$H: (207) 866-6546

Western Maine CA$H: (207) 778-7954

Non-English speakers can call Prosperity Maine: (207) 797-7890 

Families can use this simplified mobile-friendly tax filing tool to claim the child tax credit and missing stimulus payments.