Maine Children's Home (MCH) (also known as Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers) is a nonprofit agency in

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the populatio ...

, that provides education, counseling,

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

day care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

, and early childhood education services for pregnant teens and teen parents. Founded as an

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

in 1899 and incorporated as the Maine Children's Home Society in 1901, it began dealing solely with

s in 1915. It merged with the Maine branch of

The Home for Little Wanderers The Home for Little Wanderers is a private non-profit child and family service agency. It has been part of the Massachusetts landscape for more than 200 years, making it the oldest agency of its kind in the nation and one of the largest in New Eng ...

of Massachusetts in 1962, creating the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers. In 1973 it introduced an "alternative" high school program for pregnant teens and teen parents.

History

The Home originally opened as a private

on April 10, 1899, in Augusta to care for children living on the streets or in financially unstable homes. Funded by donations from local residents, the institution provided food, clothing, and shelter for 28 children in its inaugural year. It was incorporated as The Maine Children's Home Society in 1901. It also began offering an adoption service to help place children who needed homes. By 1915, the expansion of the foster care movement obviated the need for an orphanage and it was closed, but the adoption service continued to operate. In the 1930s, some of the infants waiting for adoption were used as "practice babies" by home economics students at the Farmington State Normal School. In the 1950s the Home started its annual

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

gift box program, which sends toys, games, and clothing to impoverished children statewide. On July 25, 1962, the Maine Children's Home Society merged with the Maine branch of

of Massachusetts, creating Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers. The merged institution, now based in Waterville, provided adoption services together with "foster care, counseling, diagnostic study, case work with unmarried parents, and summer camp scholarships". In 1973 the Home launched its Teen Parent School Program, which offers an "alternative" high-school education for pregnant teens. The Home acquired a campus with five buildings in Waterville in 2001 with major support from the Harold Alfond Foundation. In 2011 the Home was accredited for international adoption under the Hague Adoption Convention.

Services

Adoption services

Maine Children's Home is a licensed private agency for adoptions and child placement. It is one of ten licensed adoption agencies in the state. The agency facilitates domestic and international adoptions, home studies, post-adoption services, and counseling for birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees. It places between 10 and 14 children annually.

Teen Parent School Program

An "alternative" educational program offers high-school classes, parenting guidance, childcare guidance, and counseling for pregnant teens and teen parents. The majority of students are girls, although classes and support groups are available for teen fathers. Students can enroll for up to four years, attending classes even after they give birth, and child care is available free of charge. In its first 40 years, this program graduated approximately 1,000 students. The program enrolls an average of 20 students per year.

Daycare and early childhood education

The day care and early childhood education program accommodates 55 children annually.

Outpatient mental health counseling

Outpatient mental health counseling is provided for 200 clients per year.

Christmas gift boxes

Toys, games, and clothing are distributed to impoverished children statewide each Christmas season. In 2012 this program benefited more than 1,600 children.

Summer camp scholarships

Summer camp scholarships are provided for over 150 children statewide.

Fundraising

The Home runs its own fundraisers and solicits corporate sponsorships. In-house fundraisers include an annual dinner and an annual Lobster Roll Lunch, which in 2014 raised $7,000 for the Christmas gift box distribution. Corporate sponsors include the Ray Haskell Ford Lincoln dealership, which runs an annual

ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters Longer ...

tournament in support of the Home, the Atlantic Music Festival, and 10

credit union A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit organization, nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including depo ...

s making up the

Kennebec Valley The Kennebec Valley is a region of the U.S. state of Maine, consisting of the Somerset, Kennebec, and Androscoggin Counties. The area formed as a result of the Wisconsin Glaciation The Wisconsin Glacial Episode, also called the Wisconsin glaciat ...

Chapter of Credit Unions.

Staff

In January 2016 Richard Dorian became executive director of Maine Children's Home. He succeeded Sharon H. Abrams, who joined the staff in 1973 as the first teacher in the Teen Parent School Program and served as executive director from 1992 to 2015. Abrams continues to work at the Home as a volunteer and social worker.

Awards

The Home received a 2003 Certificate of Achievement and a 2000 Community Service Award from the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, a 1999 Giraffe Award from the Maine Children's Alliance, and a Business of the Year Award from the Waterville Business and Professional Women. Longtime employee and executive director Sharon H. Abrams was inducted into the

Maine Women's Hall of Fame The Maine Women's Hall of Fame was created in 1990 to honor the achievements of women associated with the U.S. state of Maine. The induction ceremonies are held each year during March, designated as Women's History Month. Nominees are chosen by the ...

in 2004.

References

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External links

"School for Little Wanderers" (audio)
Toucan Radio, 2005 Organizations established in 1899 1899 establishments in Maine Adoption-related organizations Orphanages in the United States