Newsletter

Knox Chiropractic Supports Educare Families

This winter, Dr. Keenan Knox and the team at Knox Chiropractic in Augusta brought the spirit of giving into their lobby—and their patients answered the call with incredible generosity.

Knox Chiropractic set up a giving tree decorated with tags listing winter gear needs for Educare children. Within weeks, their waiting room transformed into a collection point as patients selected tags and returned with items, many bringing more than one.

The donation came at a crucial time. Many of our families face difficult choices between heating their homes and purchasing winter clothing that fits growing children. Thanks to Knox Chiropractic's initiative, dozens of children now have the weather appropriate gear they need to play outside safely.

This partnership reflects what makes our community special—neighbors caring for neighbors, and local businesses finding creative ways to make a difference. We're deeply grateful to Dr. Knox, his staff, and every patient who participated in making this winter warmer for Educare families.

If your business or organization would like to explore ways to support our children and families, please reach out. Together, we're building a community where every child has what they need to thrive.

Parent Voices at National Head Start Association Conference

At the National Head Start Association conference in December, Melissa Harding, Maine State Parent Ambassador, and representatives from the National Center for Parent and Family Engagement presented on the impact of parent voice in strengthening early childhood systems. The session highlighted evidence-informed practices linking authentic parent engagement to improved program quality, stronger family–staff partnerships, and more responsive decision-making.

The presentation aligned with recent Maine policy progress, including the passage of LD 1566, which reimburses individuals with lived experience—such as Parent Ambassadors—serving on state advisory boards, recognizing the value of parent expertise. The Maine State Parent Ambassador Program was highlighted as a leadership and advocacy pipeline that increases family participation and supports system-level change, reinforcing the importance of compensating parent voice to ensure equity, access, and sustainability.

Families in the Driver's Seat for Annual Holiday Parade

For the fourth year in a row, Educare participated in Waterville's Parade of Lights. This annual event puts families in the driver's seat as they selected the theme for this year's float, "There's Gnome Place Like Educare," and helped to plan and decorate it. 

For the last two years, the float and truck have been donated and driven by an enrolled Educare Families, Al and Brenda Tuttle. Numerous staff, parents and children filled the float, donning gnome costumes while some passed out hundreds of hot chocolate packets to viewers along the parade route.

Classroom Happenings

Classroom 11 children put on their scientist hats and delved into the effects of weather on objects! One of their favorite activities was What Can Air Move? As a large group, they made predictions on several objects including cars and paint. During small group activities, they were able to test each object, simulating wind by blowing through straws. Finally, they shared results and formed conclusions.

Through this experiment, the children learned about the scientific process (observation and question; hypothesis/prediction; experimentation; data analysis/conclusion). They also fine-tuned gross motor skills, team work, and creativity. Their conclusions on their two favorite objects, cars and paint? Cars needed more air to make them move and paint moves in interesting patterns!