• MCA 2000 Annual Report
• MCA 2004 Annual Report - 10th Anniversary

Annual Report

MCA 2000 Annual Report

The Maine Children's Alliance [MCA] has a clear mission - to be a strong and powerful voice for children. Since its founding in 1994, staff, board members and volunteers have been working zealously to realize this mission. This Annual Report provides an opportunity to detail the Maine Children's Alliance's achievements and to pause and reflect on the organization's visions for the future.




BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Carpenter Attorney, former Attorney General and Legislator

Alan Cartwright General Manager, WGME13

Gail Chase State Auditor

Dana F. Connors President, Maine State Chamber of Commerce

Dean Crocker Program Manager, Tri-County Children's Program

Nancy DeSisto Coordinator, Children's Health Collaborative Maine General Medical Center

Gloria Dugan Executive Director, Catholic Charities Maine

Michael J. Fiori Business Person

Jane Gilbert Director of Human Resources, MDOT

Betsey Greenstein President, Fleet Bank

Mary Majorowicz Financial Advisor

Marjorie M. Medd Norway, Maine

Charles O'Leary Retired, Maine AFL/CIO

Neil Rolde Maine Health Care Reform Commissioner, Maine Commission for Children's Health

John Rosser, EdD Chairman of the Board, Spurwink Institute

Cheryl Lee Rust Owner, Le Garage Restaurant

Sydney Sewall, MD, MPH Pediatrician

Pete Thibodeau President, Jobs for Maine Graduates

Richard J. Warren Publisher, Bangor Daily News; President, Bangor Publishing Company




Staff Listing
Elinor Goldberg Executive Director ext 203 egoldberg@mekids.org
Lynn Davey KIDS COUNT Director ext 204 ldavey@mekids.org
Jeffrey Fetterer Development Director ext 205 jfetterer@mekids.org
Bonnie Wyman Administrative Assistant ext 201 bmwyman@mekids.org
Aubrey Gridley Health Coordinator ext 206 anunan@mekids.org
Marjorie Percival Project Coordinator ext 208 marjorie@mint.net



Letter from the Board President

Marge Medd, President

For six years, the Maine Children's Alliance has been an outspoken and effective voice for Maine's children. This past year was both busy and productive. We published our sixth annual Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book, took the lead in expanding health insurance coverage for children through our advocacy and outreach efforts, and brought people together in the Start ME Right Coalition to support major improvements for early care and education during the 1999 legislative session.

Where do we go from here? We will continue to speak for children, to make sure that every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. We will bring together individuals, organizations and service providers to work cooperatively in the best interest of our children. We will continue to base our efforts on the data we compile - and we'll use that data to propose broad systemic change in the areas in which children's lives are affected. That is our commitment to Maine's children and youth. We invite you to join us in this critical work.

Marge Medd, President
MCA Board of Directors





Letter from the Executive Director

I have been an advocate for children most of my adult life, with many years spent working as a child welfare worker at the Department of Human Services. I know firsthand from my work there, that many children in Maine do not have a "GREAT beginning" - that instead they experience verbal, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and diminished dreams.

I feel fortunate to be able to advocate for children at the Maine Children's Alliance - we will run out of time if we work with one child at a time. At MCA, we are working to improve systems and policies in order to improve the conditions facing children. I work with an extraordinary group of people: the staff, board and volunteers at the Alliance, public policy makers and child advocates, concerned business people, healthcare and early care providers and parents - all working collaboratively to make sure that each and every Maine child has the opportunity for a great beginning.

We have accomplished much, as this report shows. We will continue the work we have begun. And, looking to the future, we will expand our effectiveness by focusing on system reform. We believe that we can best help individual children by constructively working to ensure that all children are optimally served by Maine's programs and institutions. At the Maine Children's Alliance, we feel it's the most important work we can do.
 

 


The MCA Takes a Lead at the National Association of Child Advocates

The National Association of Child Advocates (NACA) is a national network of child advocacy organizations providing leadership on children's issues at the state and local level. NACA's national conferences and regional training, technical assistance, and timely background materials on issues affecting children and families provide vital information to member organizations. Links are forged between state and national experts, and NACA serves as a clearinghouse for its members.

At the Maine Children's Alliance, we have gained invaluable information about activities, strategies and campaigns initiated in other states. Our work, particularly our Start ME Right campaign, has served as a model for other NACA member organizations. A major focus in its first six years has been to improve the quality of children's health; this is a logical priority and one that has yielded a variety of tangible returns for Maine children.

Much of this work has been accomplished through the MCA's Child Health Care Access Project, made possible by the generous support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Bingham Program, Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust and the Maine Community Foundation. Components of the project include:

• Releasing the annual Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book, most recently in February, 2000;
  
  
• Creating a Medicaid Outreach project and participating in the Medicaid Enrollment Outreach Initiative (funded by the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation) which has provided organizational expertise and education to expand the availability of coverage for children who are currently without health insurance;
  
  
• Convening the Dental Access Coalition, aimed at improving access to dental services, particularly for low income children and their families;
  
  
• Developing the Rural Access Research and Analysis Initiative, in collaboration with members of the Northern New England Rural Pediatric Association, aimed at reducing emergency room visits for primary care diagnoses and treatment, and emphasizing the importance of a "medical home" for every child in Maine.
  
• The Child Health Care Access Project is recognized statewide as a leader in organizing around health care issues affecting children and their families in Maine. Through partnerships with state agencies, advocacy groups, and foundations, the Maine Children's Alliance has served as a leader in the implementation of all these strategies.
  

With the credibility gained through years of effective non-partisan leadership in health care policy, the Maine Children's Alliance has successfully expanded its focus. In the fall of 1998, MCA launched Start ME Right - an extensive initiative to expand and improve Maine's early care and education system. The initiative was inspired by major change in national Welfare policy, as well as child care access data published in Maine KIDS COUNT which confirmed that Maine has a shortage of quality early care resources. In addition, public consciousness of research on infant brain development reinforced initiatives to increase support for quality, positive early care and educational experiences for children.

The Start ME Right coalition included child advocates, child welfare activists, teachers, parents, health care professionals, Head Start staff, and business leaders. Meeting regularly throughout the 1999-2000 legislative session, the coalition helped transform public policy for children in Maine.

We can look back on what we have accomplished in the past six years with pride. The Maine Children's Alliance has collected and disseminated the most comprehensive and reliable data regarding children, has raised public awareness statewide about children's needs, has changed individual children's lives through our advocacy and outreach efforts, and has worked successfully to initiate change in both public policy and programs which affect children. While the MCA will never lose sight of the importance of advocating for individual children, we know that our method of accomplishing that in the future must be to focus on systemic reform in health care, early care, mental health, juvenile justice and other arenas still being defined. We believe that this kind of reform will provide us with the best vehicle for transforming the lives of Maine children. We look to the future with enthusiasm and hope!
 



The 2000 KIDS COUNT Data Book Release

The seventh annual Maine KIDS COUNT Data Book was released on February 15, 2000 at the State House. At a press conference that day, legislative leaders spoke about the importance of the KIDS COUNT data in the formulation of state policy and the importance of focusing our public policy efforts on children and their families. The book contains sound statewide and county-by-county data in the following categories:

• physical and mental health
  
• social and economic opportunity
  
• education and learning
  
• demographics
  

The KIDS COUNT Data Book has become a "hot" item. Each year, people call the MCA asking, "When's the new one coming out?" KIDS COUNT is the annual State of the Children for Maine, an invaluable resource for legislators, state officials, child advocates, businesses and foundations.

To order a copy of KIDS COUNT, call the office (207) 623-1868 or e-mail mainekids@mekids.org.




 
Medicaid Outreach: Making a Difference in Children's Lives

We are delighted that in Maine since July, 1998, more then 8,700 previously uninsured children were enrolled in the Maine Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP). We know that there are over 20,000 more children who are eligible to participate. Working in partnership with the Department of Human Services and other organizations, we are currently engaged in a statewide outreach campaign to reach these uninsured children.

In 1999, our outreach efforts were significantly expanded as a result of the Maine Children's Alliance's participation in the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation's Covering Kids Initiative.

In addition to our ongoing constituents, parents, health care providers, child advocates, Head Start and Child Care proponents and the business community, MCA is also providing leadership on two task forces: Education and Faith/Civic Organizations. Through our established networks (and some we have recently developed) we are now providing general training and information regarding eligibility guidelines and the enrollment process to educators, faith groups, Service Clubs and rural, underserved communities. Individuals and organizations interested in getting information about CHIP or distributing applications to potentially eligible individuals should call MCA at 623-1868.
 



The Maine Dental Access Coalition

Access to dental services for many children and adults has become increasingly limited in Maine. Low income people with Medicaid coverage or those who are unable to pay for services at the time they are provided often have difficulty finding a dentist who will treat them. In 1997, the Maine Children's Alliance, working collaboratively with the Bureau of Health, created the Maine Dental Access Coalition in order to address this problem.

The mission of the Coalition is to promote the importance of preventive and restorative oral health care and to improve access to quality oral health care services throughout Maine. The Coalition, with over 65 members, has been able to bring dentists and other oral health care providers together with advocates, legislators, representatives of state agencies and consumers to highlight the problems and work on tangible, constructive solutions. The number of dentists who now accept Medicaid patients and Medicaid fees for dental services has increased, which has helped increase access to dental care.
 


Start ME Right - A Legislative Success Story

The Start ME Right coalition, convened by the Maine Children's Alliance, was instrumental in the passage of a landmark package of legislation in 1999. The successful legislation included supplemental funding for home visitations to new parents and for Head Start, the establishment of pilot sites for after-school care for children aged 13 to 15, and a number of major reforms to the child care system: the addition of new state child care licensing staff, increased state tax credits for parents and employers, as well as access to low interest loans to child care centers for both start-up of new centers and expansion of existing centers.

The breadth of support for the Start ME Right agenda and the impact of the coalition attracted the attention of many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal. A more detailed summary of the legislative package is available from the Maine Children's Alliance.
 
GREAT Beginnings can lead to GREAT Results!

In the spring of 1999, the Maine Children's Alliance, with Hannaford Brothers, WMTW-TV and Fleet Bank, began a promotional campaign to raise awareness of the importance of quality early care and education for children. The purpose of this project is to help create an environment in which all children can realize their gifts and reach their full potential. Information offered in the campaign is designed to help parents support their children's growth.

Straightforward and reliable information has been provided on a variety of topics related to parenting and healthy child development (e.g., language development, social behavior, identity development). In addition, the campaign provides links to community-level resources that work to support families. Equally important, the campaign focuses on what the policy issues and initiatives are in early care and education, why it is important to everyone in the community to address these issues, and how individuals can become involved.

This partnership involves regular news coverage of these issues on the 6PM news on Channel 8, with a comprehensive public service announcement schedule and a station web page. Complementary information is also offered in many venues around the state including in-store campaigns at Shop 'n Save stores and parent/child focused events have been scheduled in Fleet Bank branches.
 


Recognizing Children's Advocates

Each year, at the Champions for Children event, the Maine Children's Alliance presents Giraffe Awards to individuals and organizations that "stick out their necks" for Maine's children, youth and families. In June 1999, awards were presented to:

AmeriCorps Act Crew
Lee Glynn
Genevieve Hatc
her Edward Hinckley
Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers
Kristina Joyce Smith
Lawrence Ricci, MD
Jan Riddle
Joyce Roy




Comments

"It was good ro see so many familiar faces standing together for Maine's children [at the annual Champions for Children]... You're super!"

Honorable Olympia Snowe
U.S. Senator

 

"The Maine Children's Alliance does a yeoman's job of collecting and publishing data that paints a meaningful picture of social, economic, physical and educational environments of children in this state."

Judith Meyers
Editorial Page Editor
Lewiston Sun Journal

 

"My thanks to Ellie Goldberg and the Maine Children's Alliance for convening the Start ME Right Coalition. The Coalition's work helped make important changes in Maine Child Care Parent Education policy. The Maine Children's Alliance takes its mission seriously and gets tangible results!"

Dianne Stetson, Director
Office of Head Start
& Child Care



"Thanks for the copy of the [Maine] KIDS COUNT. It looks terrific, one of the best I have seen. I think these data laid out in such concise and reader friendly formats are helpful to policy makers and researchers alike."

Denise L. Haynie, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Prevention Research Branch
DESPR, NICHD, National
Institute of Health

 
 

"The week after the [Champions for Children] reception, I attended a very difficult meeting about a child's school program during which I thought of the award and did 'stick my neck out' a bit regarding services. It was an uncomfortable situation, but the results were worth it. I thank your organization for helping me with that confidence. Keep up the effective and worthwhile work."

Carol Bryan
1998 Giraffe Award Winner


 

"Every year the Maine Children's Alliance comes to the legislature to remind us that KIDS COUNT. They are the voice of the many kids who count on them to speak to their needs and their priorities."

Honorable Steven Rowe
Maine Speaker of the House

 




ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The Maine Children's Alliance greatly appreciates the generous support of our donors.

Annie E. Casey Foundation
Jesse B. Cox Charitable Trust
Fleet Bank of Maine
Hannaford Brothers
Bureau of Health
Branta Fund
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Bangor Daily News
Maine Community Foundation
The Betterment Fund
Madeleine Corson
Rick and Beth Warren
Partners in Ending Hunger
Neil and Carla Rolde
Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine
Dead River Company
People's Heritage Bank
Time Warner Cable - New England Div.
Jennifer Harrell
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Inc.
Northeast Delta Dental
Bingham Program
American Academy of Pediatrics - ME Chapter
Moss USA
Leon and Lisa Gorman
Spurwink Institute
Geiger Brothers
Healthsource Maine Inc.
Key Bank of Maine
MBNA New England Inc.
Kennebec Pediatrics
Sylvia Lund
Bath Iron Works
Community Health & Counseling Services
Developmental Disabilities Council
O'Connor GMC
United Way of Greater Portland
James Doyle
Margo Simmons
Bath-Brunswick Child Care Services
Susan Longley
Lynn Hart
Rumford Group Homes Inc.
Kathi and Alex Wall
Maine Development Foundation
Joanne Van Namee
Martha Bishop
Kennebec Valley Community Action Program
Mimi Dunn and Ron Shapiro
Ducktrap River Fish Farm
WMTW-TV
People's Regional Opportunity Program
Catholic Charities Maine
Frank Musciano
American Express Financial Advisors
Camp Kieve
Jane Gilbert & Nancy Fritz
Sisters of Charity Health System
Kennebec Girl Scout Council
Portland Marriott
Beth Ellers
Jana Lapoint
Sive Neilan
Sydney Sewall
Univ. of Maine Cooperative Extension
Brief Therapy Associates
Ala Reid
Gail Chase
United Way of Mid Coast Maine
Kids Can Make A Difference
LeGarage Restaurant
Maine Transition Network
Annette & Will Hertz
Dean Crocker
Dennis Shubert
Downeast Health Services
Maine School Management Association
Maine Association for Infant Mental Health
MaineGeneral Medical Center
Washington County Child Development Services
MaineHealth
University of Maine System
Burgess Advertising & Associates
Coastal Community Action Program
Maine Humanities Council
Kenneth Olson
Children's Center
ACF/DHHS
Peggy Schaffer
Sweetser Children's Services
Bruce Schatz
Dorothy Larrabee
Cheryl Lee Rust
Micheal Mote
Davis Stream Tree Farm
Madison Paper Industries
Maine Adoption Placement Service
Norumbega Pediatrics
Training and Development Corporation
Christopher Leighton
Chuck Wolfe
Jane McCarty
Jim & Jane Lester
John Hornstein
Mary Black
Susan St. John
Youth Alternatives Inc.
Community Center for Inclusion - UMO
Leslie Sadler
WomanCare/Aegis
Maine Hospital Assocation
Nobel Clinic
Northeast Crisis Service
Bill Dopheide
Fredericka Wolman
Carol Bryan
Androscoggin Head Start
Belfast Area Children's Center
Communities for Children
Congregation Bet Ha'am
Early Childhood Program
Healey & Associates Inc.
Health Reach
Maine Bankers Association
Maine Center of Economic Policy
Maine Children's Home
Maine Medical Center
Parents are Teachers Too
Parkview Hospital
Elizabeth Townsend
St. Joseph's Child Care Center
Tri-County Mental Health Services
Waterville Area Boys & Girls/YMCA
YWCA of Bangor-Brewer
Beatrice Szatyr
Betsy Saltonstall
Brian Rines
Catherine Erdman
Cynthia Donaldson
David Boldebook
Evora Jordan
John Beaman
John Marshall
Judith Dann
Laurel Macs
Lynn Davey
Phyllis Macdonald
Susan Allein
Trish Riley
Barbara Schreier
James Abbott
Linda Williams
Lynn Devane
Prudence Kobasa
Trudy Bacon
Virginia Libby
Wanda Stahl
Acadia Hospital
Bath Police Department
CED Head Start
City of Augusta - Bureau of Health & Welfare
William Davis
Jobs for Maine's Graduates
ME Family Childcare
Memorial Middle School
Mid Maine Homeless Shelter Inc.
Mid-Coast Children's Services
Ruth Martin
Susan Peabody
Beverly Stearns
Pediatric Health Providers
Benjamin Dudley
Deborah Gelardi
Judy Lloyd
Mary Ellen Deschenes
Adoptive and Foster Families
Bangor Public Health Nursing
Bureau of Children
Child Care Resource
CMMC Student Wellness Center


 

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