An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development in Early Childhood
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1321
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: BREEN, PIERCE, LANGLEY, MAKER, MILLETT, FARNSWORTH, GATTINE, KORNFIELD, MALABY, PARKER
Amends: 20-A MRSA §254

Legislative Document
No. 1321
S.P. 450
In Senate, April 4, 2017
An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and 
Development in Early Childhood
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BREEN of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative PIERCE of Falmouth and
Senators: LANGLEY of Hancock, MAKER of Washington, MILLETT of Cumberland, 
Representatives: FARNSWORTH of Portland, GATTINE of Westbrook, KORNFIELD of 
Bangor, MALABY of Hancock, PARKER of South Berwick.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §254, sub-§20 is enacted to read: 
20.  Statewide voluntary early childhood consultation program.  Beginning 
September 1, 2019, the commissioner shall implement a statewide voluntary early 
childhood consultation program to provide support and guidance to early care and 
education teachers and to providers working in public preschools, child care centers as 
defined in Title 22, section 8301-A, subsection 1-A, family child care settings and Head 
Start programs serving infants and young children who are experiencing challenging 
behaviors that put them at risk of learning difficulties and removal from early learning 
settings. 
Sec. 2.  Pilot project; early childhood consultation program.  The 
Department of Education shall develop and implement a pilot project to establish an early 
childhood consultation program to enable consultants with expertise in the areas of early 
childhood development and mental health to work on-site with early care and education 
teachers and providers of child care to aid them in the use of evidence-based strategies 
that reduce challenging behaviors in children and promote social-emotional growth, as 
well as provide guidance to parents about their children's behavioral difficulties.  The 
department shall designate an entity to design the pilot project in consultation with the 
National Center for Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health 
Consultation and key stakeholders in the State.  The entity designated by the department 
may be a public entity, a private entity or a public-private partnership.  In developing the 
pilot project, the designated entity shall:  
1.  Study national and in-state models of early childhood mental health consultations, 
including but not limited to the Early Childhood Consultation and Outreach Program in 
Washington County; Maine Roads to Quality at the University of Southern Maine Muskie 
School of Public Service; and the Early Childhood Consultation Partnership in 
Connecticut; 
2.  Explore enhancing cross-sector professional development capacity in the State 
through partnerships with entities such as the Technical Assistance Center on Social 
Emotional Intervention for Young Children, a project funded by the United States 
Department of Education; 
3.  Establishing connections between individualized on-site coaching for teachers and 
caregivers and other forms of professional development, including group training and 
communities of practice; 
4.  Develop a system for collecting and analyzing data on implementation and 
selected outcomes to promote accountability and continuous quality improvement; and 
5.  Develop a plan for establishing a roster of qualified consultants with the 
specialized knowledge, skills and experience to effectively coach teachers, caregivers and 
program directors to promote a child's social and emotional health and decrease 
challenging behaviors. 
The department shall provide a report by January 15, 2019 to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters regarding the 
status of the pilot project and its ability to provide support and guidance to early care and 
education teachers and to providers working in public preschools, child care centers, 
family child care settings and Head Start programs serving infants and young children 
who are experiencing challenging behaviors that put them at risk of learning difficulties 
and removal from early learning settings.  As part of its report, the department shall 
include its recommendations regarding the amendment of the statewide voluntary early 
childhood consultation program established under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
20-A, section 254, subsection 20.  After receipt and review of the report and 
recommendations, the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over education matters may report out a bill to the First Regular Session of the 129th 
Legislature. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to implement, beginning September 
1, 2019, a statewide voluntary early childhood consultation program to provide support 
and guidance to early care and education teachers and to providers working in public 
preschools, child care centers, family child care settings and Head Start programs serving 
infants and young children who are experiencing challenging behaviors that put them at 
risk of learning difficulties and removal from early learning settings.  The bill authorizes 
the Department of Education to designate an entity to design and implement an early 
childhood consultation program as a pilot project, and to report back to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters with its 
recommendations concerning the amendment of the statewide voluntary early childhood 
consultation program.