“There is no higher priority than our children and. . .it is high time we put children’s health and safety first. I will start with one simple step — calling together the Children’s Cabinet for the first time in years, to tackle these issues.”
Governor Janet T. Mills, Inaugural Address
The Children’s Cabinet plays a vital role in convening and facilitating coordination across State agencies on initiatives and policies that will improve and promote the healthy development of children and youth in Maine.
Maine Children’s Cabinet members include the Commissioners of the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Public Safety, and Corrections. In collaboration with key staff from each of these agencies, the work of Governor Mills’ Children’s Cabinet is coordinated by staff in the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.
Staff from the Departments comprising the Children’s Cabinet meet regularly to maintain open communication about changes and developments in programming and policies across state agencies for children and youth, coordinate the implementation of specific strategies, and identify new opportunities to collaborate across programs to advance the Children’s Cabinet’s strategies and goals.
The Children’s Cabinet strategic plans lay out two overarching goals:
- All Maine children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. (Click here for plan.)
- All Maine youth enter adulthood healthy, connected to the workforce and/or education. (Click here for plan.)
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Department of Education, was awarded a Preschool Development Grant (PDG), Birth through Five, from the US Department of Health and Human Services on December 21, 2020. This three-year grant will support the state to build needed infrastructure and capacity to create a more coordinated, efficient, and high-quality mixed delivery system for children ages birth to five and their families. The plan builds upon the successful cross-agency work to ensure that all children enter Kindergarten prepared to succeed.
For more details about Maine's Preschool Development Grant, B-5, explore the 2022 PDG grant application.
For more information about Governor Mills’ Children’s Cabinet, please contact Ana Hicks, the Children’s Cabinet Coordinator, at ana.hicks@maine.gov