Educare Central Maine

08/24/2026

Come join this important opportunity tomorrow at Educare to share your thoughts on the importance of early childhood education and care. Without programs like Educare, parents can’t work. Your voice matters!

08/22/2026

🏁 And they’re OFF! 🏁
Today, our preschoolers crossed the finish line of their journey with us in the most Educare way possible — with the Kindy 500!
After weeks of designing, decorating, and dreaming up their cardboard race cars, our graduates raced down the fire road and straight across the finish line of their time with us.
While we may be waving the checkered flag on preschool, this is just the starting line for these incredible little racers. ❤️ They’re heading to kindergarten with full tanks of confidence, curiosity, kindness, independence, and all the skills they’ve been building along the way. We couldn’t be more proud of how far they’ve traveled — and we can’t wait to see where the road takes them next.
Start your engines, Kindergarten… our Educare graduates are racing your way! 🏁🎓🏎️💨

08/20/2026

There are some BIG milestones happening at Educare! ❤️ Tomorrow, our preschoolers will graduate from their classrooms and officially become kindergartners!

Being a “Kindergartener” at Educare comes with some pretty special perks—including a field trip to the Children’s Discovery Museum! And because these children have worked so hard to learn the skills they need to be responsible, safe, and confident, they earned the privilege of walking all the way from Educare to the museum. 👣

Once there, they explored, played, laughed, and celebrated this exciting next chapter together. What a beautiful reminder of just how much they have grown. We couldn’t be prouder of these big kids and all that awaits them in kindergarten! 🎓❤️

08/19/2026

A great day in DC networking, sharing our model and learning alongside others! We're proud to share the work we're doing through Educare-and to support early childhood programs through professional training and technical assistance! If your program is looking to strengthen practice, build capacity or support educators, we'd love to connect!

08/15/2026

Educare’s Lab School & Learning Hub is here to support the entire early childhood field—not just large programs or centers.
Recently, we had the opportunity to travel to an isolated school on a Maine island, where a small team of educators serves just a handful of children. Their setting may look very different from a larger center, but their commitment to providing high-quality early learning is just as strong.
We’re proud that our work can reach educators wherever they are—even when the journey involves a ferry ride—and provide consultation, connection, and support that meets programs exactly where they are.
If your program is looking for support, we have coaches, mentors, and other educational professionals ready to partner with you, learn alongside you, and help you move your work forward—wherever you are in Maine or beyond.

08/15/2026

A huge thank you to Stray Dog Coffee Co.for bringing your coffee camper to our staff meeting and treating our staff to some delicious drinks!
We appreciate you helping us start the day with a little extra energy, a lot of smiles, and some great coffee dog 🐾 ☕️

08/14/2026

This weekend!!!!

🎒 Help your student gear up for school! Waterville Elks Lodge #905 is hosting its annual "Tools to Thrive" Backpack Distribution!

📅 When: Sunday, August 16, 2026
🕐 Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
📍 Where: 76 Industrial St, Waterville, ME 04901
Local children can pick up a free backpack filled with school supplies to start the year with confidence.

⚠️ Important Details:

Distributed first-come, first-served while supplies last.
Children must be present and with an adult to choose their backpack.
Limit of one backpack per child.
A huge thank you to our amazing community partners—including the Waterville Rotary Club, Maine State Credit Union, and the Elks National Foundation—for helping us ease the back-to-school financial burden for local families!

📞 Questions? Contact Co-Chair Christine M. Nadeau at 207-660-1569 or the Lodge Secretary at 207-873-0137. See you there!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Waterville Elks Lodge #905 to Host Annual "Tools to Thrive" Backpack Distribution on August 16



WATERVILLE, Maine — Waterville Elks Lodge #905 is pleased to announce the upcoming distribution date for its "Tools to Thrive" backpack program, aimed at helping local students prepare for the upcoming school year. The event will take place on Sunday, August 16, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the Elks Lodge, 76 Industrial Street, Waterville.



The "Tools to Thrive" initiative provides local children with a complimentary backpack stuffed with age-appropriate school supplies to ensure they have the essential resources needed to start the school year off right.



Backpacks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. To receive a backpack, children must be present at the event and accompanied by an adult. This setup allows each child to personally choose their own backpack. There is a strict limit of one backpack per child.



This vital community initiative is made possible through diverse local funding. The program is supported by Waterville Elks member donations, an Elks National Foundation grant, a generous donation from the Waterville Rotary Club, and a community collection organized through the Maine State Credit Union's Waterville branch.



The Waterville Elks Lodge is dedicated to serving the local community and investing in the success of area youth. By equipping students with necessary learning materials, the lodge and its partners hope to ease the financial burden on families and inspire confidence in students as they head back to the classroom.



For more information about the event or the "Tools to Thrive" program, please contact the Waterville Elks Lodge #905 directly.



Media Contact:
Christine M. Nadeau, Tools to Thrive co-chair

207-660-1569

[email protected]

Waterville Elks Lodge #905
207-873-4335
[email protected]

www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?lodgenumber=905

facebook.com/Elks905 #

08/13/2026

At KVCAP, our Maine Families Home Visiting Program is growing!

We are hiring a full-time Family Visitor (36-40 hours) in Skowhegan. Family Visitors partner with expectant parents and parents of young children in their home and virtually. Visitors help families understand their child’s development, support the parent-child relationship, share activities, work toward family goals, and connect family with community resources through referrals.

Apply online here: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/4307129

Do you wonder what, exactly, a Family Visitor does? Watch this short video to learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I-yw0tN5-8

Visit www.mainefamilies.org for more information.

07/28/2026

🎒💛 Building confidence for kindergarten, one lunch at a time!

Our Educare summer camp program is giving some of our part-day preschoolers who will begin kindergarten at Brookside Elementary in just a few weeks an extra dose of confidence before their big first day! Along with preparing academically and socially in their Educare classrooms, these children walk to Brookside each day with their teachers to eat lunch in the elementary school cafeteria.

They’re practicing real-life school readiness skills—standing in line, choosing food for their trays, and even opening their own milk cartons! 🥛 These may seem like small things, but they are big steps toward independence and confidence.

School readiness is our goal, and these kiddos are more than ready! 💛 We can’t wait for our other five-year-olds transitioning to kindergarten at other schools to have their own opportunity to practice these skills before summer is over. 🌟