DURHAM, N.H. – Maine has just 837 funded Early Head Start (EHS) slots but more than 8,000 poor children age 0-2 who would benefit from the early intervention, according to new research released by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

The research also found that nearly half (47.2 percent) of Maine’s EHS enrollees participate via home visitation compared with 37.3 percent nationwide.

“Nearly half of Maine EHS families are receiving home visitation services – an approach that research shows is especially effective and which is all the more important because the state’s capacity to deliver home-visiting services in other ways is shrinking,” said Jess Carson, a vulnerable families research scientist at the Carsey School. “Because EHS can reach only a small number of Mainers, the state might consider ways to bolster the stability of this population in other ways, including through state home visitation funds and child care funds more generally.”

This research was supported by a grant from the Portland-based John T. Gorman Foundation.

The full report can be found here: https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/head-start-me

The Carsey School of Public Policy conducts research, leadership development, and engaged scholarship relevant to public policy. They address pressing challenges, striving for innovative, responsive, and equitable solutions at all levels of government and in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.