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Introduction

Maine Marks is a project of the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. The Children’s Cabinet was established in 1995 to oversee and coordinate delivery of services to children in Maine. It is composed of state government departments directly related to children and families and includes the Departments of Health and Human Services, Corrections, Education, Public Safety and Labor.
The vision of the Children’s Cabinet is that in Maine, all children and youth to be:

  • Safe
  • Healthy,
  • Well-Educated, and
  • Productive.

Through Maine Marks, the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet seeks to track and measure how Maine’s children and youth are faring in these areas.  The purpose of Maine Marks for Children, Families, and Communities is to develop and report on a set of indicators that government, citizens, and interested groups can use to track the well-being of the state’s children, families, and communities.  Maine Marks indicators are aligned with the vision and outcomes set by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. 

The first edition of Maine Marks was released in February of 2001; the current 2007-2008 online edition represents the most current available data, in most cases including data through 2007. 

Although Maine Marks has and will continue to provide a broad range of indicators across family, community, regional and state domains, the Children’s Cabinet agreed that this web-based tool should reflect more specific cross-systems work currently underway, as well as emerging, evidence-based initiatives that together have the potential to impact interagency policy and service delivery.  Measures can be viewed by individual topic, outcome, priority initiative, or by the three Children’s Cabinet priority areas: Youth in Transition, Adverse Childhood Experiences/Resiliency or Early Childhood.

Maine Marks includes indicators that represent statewide data as well as data from State programs or initiatives.  Statewide data is important because it enables policymakers and other interested parties to assess how well or poorly children and families in Maine are faring.  “Initiative-specific” indicators are of particular importance to the Children’s Cabinet because each initiative is of interest to three or more of the State Departments.

Data sources for indicators included in the Maine Marks website include primary data sources from federal and state sources, e.g. census and survey data, as well as data from program initiatives at the state level.

 

We are appreciative of the guidance and leadership provided to Maine Marks by the following individuals:

The Children's Cabinet:

First Lady Karen Baldacci

Chair, Children's Cabinet

Susan Gendron, Commissioner

Department of Education

Brenda M. Harvey, Commissioner

Department of Health and Human Services

Martin Magnusson, Commissioner

Department of Corrections

Laura Fortman, Commissioner

Department of Labor

Anne H. Jordan, Commissioner

Department of Public Safety

Patrick Ende, Senior Policy Advisor Governor's Office
Karla Black, Senior Policy Advisor Governor's Office
Mike Mahoney, Senior Policy Advisor Governor's Office

Lauren Sterling

Children's Cabinet Staff

Susan Savell

Communities for Children and Youth, Children's Cabinet Staff

Children's Cabinet Executive Staff:

James Beougher, Child and Family Services Department of Health and Human Services
Valerie Seaberg, Special Projects Department of Education
Barry Stoodley, Juvenile Services Department of Corrections
Denise V. Lord, Legislative and Program Services Department of Corrections
Jane L. Gilbert, OC Department of Labor
Janet D. Richards, Special Projects Department of Public Safety
Susan Savell Communities for Children and Youth
Lauren Sterling Children's Cabinet Staff
Leslie J. Rozeff Muskie School of Public Service

The Senior Staff:

Bobbi Johnson, Holly Stover, Ansley Newton

Chairs, Regional Children's Cabinet

Renna Hegg

Department of Corrections

Mary Lucia Public Safety

Joan Smyrski, Children's Behavioral Health Services

Department of Health and Human Services

David Stockford, Special Services

Department of Education

Mary Fran Gamage

Department of Labor

Daniel R. Despard, Child Protection Department of Health and Human Services
Patti Woolley, Early Childhood Division Department of Health and Human Services