WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Department of Education has selected the University of Maine to receive $250,000 in funding for The Mentoring and Advanced Preparation for Maine’s Early Intervention Scholars (MAPME) program.

This program will help Maine’s increase the number of highly qualified personnel prepared to meet the needs of young children and their families, particularly those with a high need.

“Early childhood education gives children across Maine the building blocks they need for a strong start in life. This important funding will help to ensure that our education professionals have the tools and training required to meet the needs of all students, particularly those who face unique educational challenges,” the Senators said in a joint statement.

Using the grant funding, the University of Maine will be able to:

1. Recruit and retain 54 scholars representing the diversity of Maine’s population, and
2.  Implement high quality graduate study in early childhood special education for 54 highly qualified, early intervention and early childhood personnel by May 2020.

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