Maine Childrens Home For Little Wanderers

Christmas program at maine children's home (mch) is the only one of its kind that provides brand new clothes, winter essentials, toys, books, and games to more than 1,100 maine children whose families are facing financial hardship. This program that relies on the generosity of so many people - donors, volunteers, and community supporters - also connects families to additional resources as needed, such as mental health and parenting supports. At maine children's home, we see this special program as a way to bring a little relief to families during a stressful time, and as a way to provide families with tools for play, connection, and comfort. We receive requests for help from our primary service areas of kennebec and somerset counties, but also from the entire state. Depending on in-kind donation levels, this program typically serves between 1,100 and 1,400 children. This program utilizes approximately 65 volunteers that contribute an average of 1,000 volunteer hours per year.

Journey program at mch provides a stable and productive community environment where teens and young parents can receive academic support, prenatal education, parenting instruction, independent living skills, mental health support, childcare, and guidance for achieving their goals and building a strong foundation. Achieving financial and emotional independence is a tremendous feat in anyone's life. Early parenthood can make the journey more challenging but not hopeless. Our aim is to remove as many deterrents as possible and then to build on the strengths of each young parent. Our goal is to help young parents understand the concept of positive parenting, to support and assist them as they learn to deal with troublesome issues, and to provide a supportive environment so they can acquire the knowledge and skills to move forward in a healthy lifestyle. There is an on-site child care provider who works with the program to provide child care which is funded by state subsidies if the parent qualifies or with grant and endowment funding. In addition, there are mental health supports and programs available through other programs of the organization.

The family adoption program provides lifetime supports for families embarking on a journey for their forever family. The hague-accredited family adoption program at maine children's home (mch) is a comprehensive adoption agency that offers professional services and support to all members of the adoption triad - adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees. Professional social work staff members guide families through the entire process and provide support long after the adoption has taken place. The program offers free adoption informational meetings every month that are open to anyone interested in learning about whether adoption is an option for their family. Maine children's home's (mch) connected families project (cfp) supported children and families through a variety of efforts, including counseling, support groups, education and outreach. Mch added targeted case management (tcm) to the cfp array in 2024. Tcm is a supportive service that helps youth and their families who are dealing with behavioral health issues, intellectual disabilities, or significant medical conditions. Through this service, a case manager works closely with families to assess their unique strengths and needs, creating a personalized care plan and guiding families in accessing valuable resources and treatment options. During 2024 tcm became the only service being provided under cfp and the program name was changed to tcm.