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Early Childhood

Start ME Right

Issue Paper

Michael is a rambunctious two and a half-year old who lives in northern Maine. Prior to Michael being born, his parents received home visits by a parent educator to help them with the challenges of raising their son. Both of Michael's parents had troubled childhoods and they say that without this help they would not have known how to handle their active little boy. Their educator has taught them ways to discipline Michael without losing patience and yelling, and they have tried hard to follow this advice. When Michael was a baby, his parents learned that they should talk and read to him often, even though he couldn't yet understand their words. Now, Michael is a child and his parents are proud of how well he is able to express himself. They worry, however, about how much more active he seems than other children his age. Their educator told them about a program that can screen Michael and determine whether he has a problem that requires treatment at this stage in his development. An appointment has been scheduled.

Michael's father drives a delivery truck but has recently seen his hours reduced. Because of the loss of income, Michael's mother has taken a job as a cashier at the local supermarket. Their educator helped them find a child care program with a wonderful staff and a very good reputation. They are able to afford it because the center receives subsidies that supplement the parents' fees and enables the staff to maintain good quality care. Two weeks prior to Michael attending the center, his child care teacher visited Michael's home to meet him and to talk to his parents and their educator about his care. By communicating with each other, the teacher was able to gain a better sense of Michael's personality and development, and to learn what approaches were being used at home so that his care in both settings would be consistent.

Michael is doing beautifully at the center. He is learning greater self-control and how to use words instead of hitting when he has a conflict with another child. Michael's child care teacher and the family's educator communicate regularly and the child care teacher frequently meets with Michael's parents to find out how things are going at home, update them about Michael's progress and answer any questions. Michael is developmentally on-target and is even ahead of many children in language skills.

The care and nurturing Michael is receiving from all of the adults in his life should be the right of every child in Maine. It is this vision that provides the impetus for the Start Me Right legislative package.

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