An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development for Young Children
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0997
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: BREEN, GATTINE, GRATWICK, MILLETT, MOORE, BEEBE-CENTER, FARNSWORTH, KORNFIELD, MORALES
Amends: 20-A MRSA §254

Legislative Document
No. 997
S.P. 287
In Senate, February 26, 2019
An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and 
Development for Young Children
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BREEN of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook and
Senators: GRATWICK of Penobscot, MILLETT of Cumberland, MOORE of Washington, 
Representatives: BEEBE-CENTER of Rockland, FARNSWORTH of Portland, KORNFIELD 
of Bangor, MILLETT of Waterford, MORALES of South Portland.
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, 2020, the commissioner shall implement a statewide voluntary early 
childhood consultation program to provide support, guidance and training to improve the 
abilities and skills of early care and education teachers and providers working in public 
elementary schools, child care facilities as defined in Title 22, section 8301-A, subsection 
1-A, paragraph B, family child care settings and Head Start programs serving infants and 
children who are 8 years of age or younger who are experiencing challenging behaviors 
that put the infants or children at risk of learning difficulties and removal from early 
learning and education settings, and to improve the abilities and skills of families and 
foster parents with infants or children who are 8 years of age or younger in the home who 
are experiencing challenging behaviors that put the infants or children at risk of learning 
difficulties and removal from early learning and education settings.
Sec. 2.  Early childhood consultation program.  By September 1, 2020, the 
Department of Education shall develop, establish and implement an early childhood 
consultation program under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 254, 
subsection 20, referred to in this section as "the program," to enable trained 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 working with children to aid 
them in the use of low-cost or no-cost evidence-based strategies that reduce challenging 
behaviors in children and promote social-emotional growth; to provide guidance to 
parents about effective ways to address their children's behavioral difficulties; and to 
connect children and families to programs, resources and supports that will assist them in 
their development and success, while addressing barriers to accessing these resources and 
supports.  The department shall design the program in consultation with the national 
Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, a 
project funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and key stakeholders in the 
State, including mental health professionals delivering mental health consultation within 
the State.  In developing the program, the department shall:
1.  Develop standards and guidelines to ensure that the program is implemented with 
primary consideration given to the core elements of evidence-based services as adapted 
for the State's unique rural character.  The guidelines must include effective strengths-
based strategies and plans that support children's success across learning environments. 
The standards must include knowledge of research-informed infant and early childhood 
mental health practices, family circumstances that affect children's behavior and mental 
health, developmental science and milestones, mental health, trauma-informed 
approaches, adverse childhood experiences, sensory processing issues, poverty, disability 
and community supports, resources and services available to a child and the child's family 
to alleviate family stress;
2.  Explore enhancing cross-sector professional development capacity in the State 
through partnerships with entities such as the national Center of Excellence for Infant and 
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and the Technical Assistance Center on 
Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children, a project funded by the United States 
Department of Education;
3. Develop a plan for consultants to establish connections for individualized on-site 
coaching as requested by teachers, caregivers and families.  The plan may include 
professional development in the form of group training and communities of practice that 
include professionals, such as home visitors or child welfare staff, who work with young 
children and families.  The plan must reinforce and extend the supports provided by early 
childhood mental health consultants to people providing professional development in 
early childhood and public school settings;
4.  Develop a system for collecting and analyzing implementation data and selected 
outcomes to identify areas for improvement, promote accountability and provide 
continuous quality improvement and service delivery to improve child outcomes by 
providing feedback, including feedback from department staff and community 
consultation staff; 
5.  Develop a plan for establishing, training and certifying a roster of community-
based qualified mental health consultants with the specialized knowledge, skills and 
experience to effectively coach families, teachers, providers and program directors to 
promote a child's social and emotional health and reduce challenging behaviors.  The 
training must include training related to the following: trauma; adverse childhood 
experiences; resilience; trauma-informed practices; child development from birth to 8 
years of age; effects of substance use; sensory processing issues; needs of children with 
disabilities, including special education law; the State's child protection and foster care 
system; other disciplines such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy 
and mental health therapy; and public and private supports and services, including the 
Women, Infants and Children Special Supplemental Food Program of the federal Child 
Nutrition Act of 1966; the Child Development Services System under the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 20-A, section 7209; the division within the Department of Health and 
Human Services concerned with children's behavioral health services; case management; 
and entitlement programs.  Consultants must also receive training that is regionally 
appropriate to understand the programs, resources and supports in their region or 
community in order to link children, families and professionals to them. The training 
must also include training in cultural competence to ensure consultants understand the 
needs of the ethnically diverse communities they may be serving and the unique services 
needed to support those populations;
6.  Develop a plan for supervision of early childhood consultation and outreach staff 
that includes administrative, clinical and reflective supervision;
7.  Develop a plan in conjunction with staff from the Child Development Services 
System under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 7209 for how early 
childhood consultants can support children, families and staff who intersect with the 
Child Development Services System, particularly as the plan relates to children who are 
referred for behavior issues; and
8.  Develop a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health and 
Human Services to determine how mental health consultants can support children and 
families involved in the State's child protection and foster care system.
Sec. 3.  Early implementation.  The Department of Education shall provide 
support, guidance and training under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 254, 
subsection 20 in 5 locations prior to implementation of the statewide voluntary early 
childhood consultation program in Title 20-A, section 254, subsection 20.
Sec. 4.  Report.  The Department of Education shall submit a report by January 1, 
2021 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education 
matters regarding the status of the statewide voluntary early childhood consultation 
program in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 254, subsection 20 and the 
program's ability to provide support and guidance to families, early care and education 
teachers and providers working with children.  The joint standing committee may submit 
legislation related to the report to the First Regular Session of the 130th Legislature. 
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to implement, beginning September 
1, 2020, a statewide voluntary early childhood consultation program to provide support, 
guidance and training to families, early care and education teachers and providers 
working in public elementary schools, child care facilities, 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 requires the Department of Education to design and implement 
the program and to report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over education matters on the implementation of the statewide voluntary 
early childhood consultation program.