The new center will create 20 additional infant and toddler slots in western Maine and was funded through Gov. Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, Congressionally Directed Spending secured by Sen. Collins and voter-approved bonds
Media note: Caption for attached image (additional images available upon request): Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins are joined by preschool students Gordon Bell and Henry Schoeppner and University of Maine at Farmington early childhood education student Violette Beaulieu in cutting the paper ribbon to formally open the new UMF Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center. Rep. Scott Landry and UMF early childhood education student Bre Maxim are behind them. Photo credit: University of Maine at Farmington.
FARMINGTON, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills and Sen. Susan Collins were joined Wednesday by Franklin County preschool students to cut the hand-painted paper ribbon to formally open the new University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center.
“Today we’re celebrating happy children, working parents who are secure in the knowledge that their children are being well cared for, and opportunities for UMF students to have real life experience, not just classroom experience, as they pursue their early education degrees. This is going to make a real difference in Franklin County,” said Sen. Collins.
“Parents across Maine need high-quality, reliable, and affordable care and education for their children — not only so that they can go to work, but so that they have the peace of mind that their children can learn and grow in a safe and nurturing place,” said Gov. Mills, of Farmington. “I am proud that my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan is expanding access to child care, providing more early learning opportunities for more children in western Maine, and training the next generation of skilled child care workers at the same time. We know more child care options are badly needed, and we will continue to work hard to expand access to child care across Maine.”
Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins are joined by preschool students Gordon Bell and Henry Schoeppner and University of Maine at Farmington early childhood education student Violette Beaulieu in cutting the paper ribbon to formally open the new UMF Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center. Rep. Scott Landry and UMF early childhood education student Bre Maxim are behind them.
After more than three decades serving families in western Maine in a small space on-campus, the nationally accredited center has moved into the 10,000-square-foot facility at 274 Front St. in Farmington. By more than doubling Sweatt-Winter’s size, UMF is expanding affordable access to high-quality child care — including for the first time to infants and toddlers — as well as enrollment in its early childhood education degree and certificate programs in support of critical state workforce needs.
“Most families in western Maine need two incomes, which makes affordable high quality early childcare a necessity for both families and employers. Through Sweatt-Winter, UMF provides that much needed child care, and we also prepare our students to become early child care professionals. At UMF, students learn by doing — not just in the classroom. This new larger facility enables that by giving our university an opportunity to care for more children while also providing hands-on education and training to many more students,” said UMF President Joe McDonnell.
President McDonnell also noted that, “While it takes a village to raise a child, it takes dedicated and concerned public officials to secure the funds to allow that village to create facilities and programs to educate our children.”
Funding for the major renovation of the former call center and related early childhood educator workforce development was provided by the University of Maine System (UMS) from voter-approved State bonds in 2018, $1 million from Gov. Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan approved by the Maine Legislature and $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requested by Sen. Collins.
“Sweatt-Winter is a wonderful example of the contributions our campuses make to their area communities. It is also a reminder of the importance and impact of public investment in our public university infrastructure,” said UMS Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives Carolyn Dorsey. “State and federal funding for capital improvements like this enables system to deliver hands-on education and training to our students, grow the size and skill of the Maine workforce in critical fields like early childhood education, and serve our communities, including by providing high-quality child care that gives kids in Franklin County a strong start and enables their families to participate fully in the economy.”
The new facility includes spacious, well-lit classrooms intentionally designed to support the learning and development of preschoolers and school-age children. It also features two new classroom spaces for high-quality infant and toddler care, creating 20 new slots to help meet the needs of area families.
Sweatt-Winter serves as a lab school for UMF students majoring in early childhood education or early childhood special education who will be completing much of their coursework and hands-on teaching experience there. A state-of-the-art undergraduate/graduate student classroom allows enrollment in UMF’s early childhood degree programs to expand by at least 20% in support of student and employer demand. Observation areas are strategically placed throughout the center to help pre- and in-service teachers see and understand children’s play, behavior and learning styles, and refine their own teaching practices.
Extensive outdoor playgrounds funded through a $100,000 gift from The Lennox Foundation complement the center’s indoor spaces and are specifically designed to meet the developmental needs of each age group served while also giving UMF students experience seeing and supporting nature-based education.
“Children have more space to grow and learn here, and they are thriving,” said UMF Early Childhood Education major Violette Beaulieau, of Monmouth, who has worked at Sweatt-Winter throughout her time in Farmington.
Additional features of the center include a nursing room for mothers, art and multi-purpose space, office space and a kitchen/laundry area.
More on University of Maine at Farmington (UMF)
A nationally recognized public liberal arts college known for its commitment to the creative arts, teacher preparation, the health arts and sciences, the environment, business and public service, UMF provides a challenging yet supportive environment to prepare students for both careers and further study. Located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region, UMF is a welcoming, close-knit academic community that prepares students for enriching professional careers, engaged citizenship and an enduring love of learning.
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Image: https://www.umf.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2024/03/RP234-050-scaled.jpg
Photo Caption: Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins are joined by preschool students Gordon Bell and Henry Schoeppner and University of Maine at Farmington early childhood education student Violette Beaulieu in cutting the paper ribbon to formally open the new UMF Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center. Rep. Scott Landry and UMF early childhood education student Bre Maxim are behind them.
Photo Credit: UMF Image
