MAIER receives funding renewal from Maine Department of Education
The Maine Autism Institute for Education and Research (MAIER) at the University of Maine has received an $849,000 grant from the Maine Department of Education to continue its Early Start Maine program.
Early Start Maine is an early intervention model that provides training, consultation and ongoing support statewide to providers working with young children ages 1 to 4 who are on the autism spectrum and their families. The program is based on the Early Start Denver program from Colorado.
The Maine Department of Education grant is a renewal of funding the Maine Autism Institute has received since 2015 for the Early Start Maine program. Additional funding this year came from federal funds, passed through the state Department of Education, intended to provide services for children from birth to age 2.
MAIER director Deborah Rooks-Ellis says there is strong support from both the executive branch — the Department of Education and the Governor’s Office — as well as the Maine Legislature for early intervention services to address emerging or already developed signs of autism.
To date, 254 children and their families have received Early Start Maine intervention services and 32 primary service providers across the state have been trained and supported on the model. On average, the program serves 60 children and families at a given time.