Youth and Family Outreach

10/09/2026

🎶 Palaver Strings is back! 🎶

We’re kicking off our 9th year of partnership with Palaver Strings , and the excitement in our classrooms says it all! ❤️

From singing along to strumming, clapping, and moving to the music, these moments bring so much joy to our children and teachers. Music creates connection, sparks curiosity, and gives our youngest learners another wonderful way to explore and express themselves.

We are so grateful to Palaver Strings for sharing their music and making music a meaningful part of our early care and education program year after year. Here’s to another year filled with music, laughter, and joyful learning! 🎻🎵

09/04/2026

🌱 Facebook

From little seedlings to Pre-K students… and now off to kindergarten! 🎒🌱

Before our YFO children headed off to kindergarten, they had one more garden adventure to enjoy: harvesting what they helped grow!

Throughout the season, our children have cared for their garden, watched tiny seeds become growing plants, discovered where their food comes from, and experienced the excitement of finding something ready to pick. Along the way, they’ve practiced patience, responsibility, cooperation, and problem-solving—all while getting their hands a little dirty. 💚

And now, these little gardeners have headed off to kindergarten!

We’re going to miss their curious minds, their busy hands, and their enthusiasm for discovering the world around them. We’re so proud of how much they’ve grown—and we can’t wait to see where their next adventure takes them.

Once a YFO child, always a part of the YFO family. 💚

09/04/2026

Cheers to these three amazing ladies for their hard work and dedication to the field of early education!🥂❤️

🌟 Celebrating our TEACH Scholars! 🌟

Meet Evelyne, Aida, and Lisette from Youth and Family Outreach! All three are TEACH Scholarship recipients working toward their early childhood education degrees at the University of Maine at Farmington and Southern Maine Community College.

During a recent site visit, our TEACH Program Coordinator, Marga, had the opportunity to learn more about the incredible work they’re doing at YFO! These educators are working full time, balancing family and life, and still making the time to pursue their degrees and grow as early childhood professionals.

We are so proud of you, Evelyne, Aida, and Lisette! Keep up the amazing work! 👏📚✨

08/21/2026

When two organizations see the same need—and are willing to get creative—good things can happen. ❤️

We’re so grateful for our partnership with The Opportunity Alliance and their Early Head Start and Head Start programs. This partnership has become such an important part of what we’re able to offer children and families at Youth & Family Outreach.

By bringing Early Head Start and Head Start services into our program, we’re able to support families in a much more comprehensive way. Families can access high-quality early childhood education while also connecting with resources and supports that help children and parents thrive. And for children, there is the added benefit of consistency—familiar teachers, familiar surroundings, and trusted relationships.

But this partnership didn’t happen simply because it was a good idea. It happened because two organizations were willing to be resourceful, flexible, and creative about how we could make it work. YFO and The Opportunity Alliance worked together to find solutions, navigate challenges, and build something that benefits the families we both serve.

That spirit of collaboration is something we’re incredibly proud of. When we work together, we can do more.

We’re grateful to The Opportunity Alliance for being such a wonderful partner and for the difference this collaboration makes every day for children, parents, and our whole YFO community. 💙

08/04/2026

There was something meaningful about standing on our development site this week.

I stood where Preble Chapel once stood—a place that served this community for generations and where Youth and Family Outreach has carried forward that legacy for decades. Today, the site is quiet.

The environmental cleanup is complete. The earth has been prepared. And now we wait for the next major milestone: construction loan closing.

From the outside, it may look like not much is happening. But anyone who has been part of a project like this knows that some of the biggest progress happens before the first concrete is poured.

Soon, this quiet space will become the YFO Resource Hub—a place where more than 100 children will receive high-quality early education each day and 60 families will have affordable homes.

Standing there, I could almost picture it.

We're getting closer.

Thank you to everyone who has believed in this vision and helped us move one step closer to making it a reality. ❤️

07/24/2026

We were thrilled to welcome the team from Norway Savings Bank to our future home as they presented a check toward their generous $25,000 commitment to our capital campaign. 💙

Their investment is helping us build more than a new building—it’s helping create a place where more children can learn, grow, and thrive, while giving more families access to the affordable, high-quality early care they need.

Community projects like this only happen because local partners step forward with vision and generosity. Thank you, Norway Savings Bank, for believing in our mission and in the future of Portland’s children and families.

As we enter the final stretch of our capital campaign, every gift brings us one step closer to opening our doors to nearly twice as many children and families. We’re incredibly grateful to have partners like Norway Savings Bank helping make that vision a reality.

Please join us in thanking Norway Savings Bank for their generosity and commitment to our community! ❤️

NSB is thrilled to commit $25,000 to Youth and Family Outreach's major Portland expansion effort! We hope you can check out the full story, including the details on how this massive project that involves the development of a new six-story building on Cumberland Avenue will help address two of the city’s biggest challenges: www.norwaysavings.bank/press_news/yfo26.

07/14/2026

✨ **Meet Hannah, YFO's New Program Coordinator!** ✨

We are so excited to welcome **Hannah** to the Youth and Family Outreach team as our new Program Coordinator!

Hannah brings nearly two decades of experience walking alongside children, families, and communities with compassion, authenticity, and deep respect. From supporting families with young children through Maine Families, to working with individuals experiencing homelessness at Preble Street, to mentoring youth through Outward Bound and Youth-LED Justice, her work has always been rooted in the belief that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.

Hannah believes in creating welcoming, low-barrier environments where families can thrive. She is passionate about equity, relationship-building, and meeting people where they are—values that are at the heart of YFO's mission.

When asked what has shaped her most, Hannah doesn't point to a degree or a job title. Instead, she credits the babies, children, youth, adults, and families she has had the privilege to know over the years. Their resilience, wisdom, and trust have made her the person and professional she is today.

We feel incredibly fortunate to have Hannah joining our team and know the children and families of YFO will benefit from her kindness, thoughtfulness, and dedication.

Please join us in giving Hannah a warm YFO welcome! 💙

06/16/2026

🚧 Progress Update! 🚧

I stopped by our development site this week, and every visit leaves me more amazed than the last.

As someone who started this project with little knowledge of site preparation, I've learned more about soldier piles, sheet pilings, excavation, and site preparation than I ever imagined I would. What fascinates me most is watching the skilled professionals on site problem-solve in real time. Whether it's navigating low power lines, managing challenging site conditions, or coordinating complex work in the heart of downtown Portland, this crew knows exactly what to do.

There is so much expertise behind every step of this project, and I am incredibly grateful for the talented people helping bring this vision to life.

Work is steadily moving forward, and it's thrilling to see the future home of YFO literally taking shape beneath our feet. Every piling placed brings us one step closer to serving more children and families in our community.

Stay tuned for more updates—we can't wait to share this journey with you! 💛

06/12/2026

Rainy day? Not a problem. ☀️🌦️

Our little ones made the executive decision to ditch the rain suits and break out the bathing suits instead! There’s something so joyful about children embracing the moment — splashing in puddles, feeling the rain, laughing with friends, and turning an ordinary sprinkly day into an adventure.

At YFO, childhood is meant to be experienced with curiosity, wonder, and a little bit of muddy fun. 💛

06/02/2026

This photo was taken as these kiddos graduated from YFO. 💛

And now… they are graduating from high school.

We truly can’t find the words for what that feels like. Looking back at these tiny faces and knowing the incredible young adults they have become fills our hearts with so much pride, gratitude, and emotion.

At YFO, we have the privilege of being part of children’s earliest chapters — and moments like this remind us just how meaningful those years are. To watch children grow from preschool graduates into high school graduates is something incredibly special.

To the YFO Class of 2026:
We are so proud of you. Thank you for letting us be part of your story. We are cheering you on as you step into this next chapter.

Once a YFO kiddo, always a YFO kiddo. ❤️