Meet Lori Moses, 2021 Giraffe Award Winner

This is the first in a series of profiles on the 2021 Giraffe Award winners. Each week leading up to the Champions for Children virtual celebration on November 4th, we will feature a profile of a 2021 Giraffe Award Winner and showcase how they “stick their neck out” for Maine children, youth, and families. This week, we are pleased to introduce you to Lori Moses.

Lori Moses  was the Executive Director of  Catherine Morrill Day Nursery  for the past 10 years, and has worked as an administrator of several other child care centers in Greater Portland since the late 1990's. Lori was responsible for securing and managing the program budget, leading the national accreditation process reflecting best practice and working in partnership to maintain contracts with the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Portland Public Schools, the City of Portland, and the United Way.

For many years, Lori has been actively involved in making Maine’s early care and education system better through participation in many collaborations, serving on boards and advisory committees, and often in leadership roles. Lori has been guided in her work by a passion about the field of early childhood education, understanding the impact the early years have on the trajectory of a child’s lifetime success.

Prior to her role as a child care center administrator, Lori worked as a trainer and facilitator, supporting parents and providers through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Child Care Connections, University of Maine at Augusta, and Maine Roads to Quality. Lori has a solid understanding of Maine's child care system, working with family child care providers, school-age care providers and public pre-k.

Lori has devoted her time to being a leader in several community-based initiatives focused on improving outcomes for children and families. She is an active member of the early childhood component of Portland ConnectED's cradle to career initiative on Starting Strong’s Leadership Team, the School Readiness Workgroup, and Portland Works for Kids. She has also participated in the Early Learning Nations project with the National League of Cities, the Greater Portland Workforce Initiative, and the Developmental Screening Initiative Group.

A staunch advocate for children and families and early care and education practitioners, Lori has often been called upon to testify in Augusta and in Portland, while also working to make children a national priority through her role as the Maine Field Director of "Every Child Matters." Lori represented the Alliance for the Children's Care, Education and Support Services (ACCESS), on Maine's Child Care Advisory Council as well as the Maine Children's Growth Council. She was active in the Start ME Right initiative, and continues to participate with the advocacy work of Right From The Start coalition and the Maine Association for the Education of Young Children's Public Policy Committee, working to change the landscape of child care in Maine. 

Lori Moses  will be awarded the 2021 Individual/Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years of dedication to providing and advocating for high quality early care and education in her community on November 4th at our Champions for Children celebration.

We hope you will join us for the 2021 Champions for Children and Giraffe Awards event ! And keep an eye out for upcoming profiles featuring the rest of our 2021 Giraffe Award winners.