Working to ensure that all children in Biddeford enter school ready to thrive.
To our Biddeford Ready! Community,
Over the past several years, Biddeford Ready! has brought together community organizations, educators, municipal leaders, providers, and advocates around a shared goal: supporting young learners and strengthening kindergarten readiness in Biddeford. We are deeply grateful for the time, collaboration, and commitment that so many of you have contributed to this work.
After careful consideration, we have made the decision to sunset the Biddeford Ready! program effective June 30, 2026.
While this decision was not made lightly, we believe it is the right time to conclude the program and redirect efforts and resources toward other collaborative opportunities that continue to support children and families in Biddeford and York County more broadly.
We want to share a few important updates related to the initiative:
Imagination Library: Families currently enrolled through Biddeford Ready will continue receiving books through July 2026, ensuring all enrolled children can complete their participation in the program.
Community Coalition Meetings: The Biddeford Ready community coalition will conclude the end of May, 2026. We encourage partners interested in continuing regional collaboration and early childhood discussions to stay connected through ongoing groups such as the York County Providers meetings, and the York County Early Childhood Coalition.
We remain incredibly proud of what this community has accomplished together through Biddeford Ready! The conversations, partnerships, and collective focus on early childhood and school readiness have helped elevate the importance of supporting young learners and families in Biddeford.
Thank you again for your partnership and for the many ways you continue to support children and families across our community. As I mentioned earlier, we are not going anywhere and we look forward to continuing to serve our Biddeford community! Please reach out to info@uwsme.org for questions or concerns.
With gratitude,
Biddeford Ready! program staff
Biddeford Ready! was a community-wide effort to help the youngest members of the Biddeford community – from birth to age 5 – get the resources they need to enter kindergarten prepared to thrive in school and beyond.
Early care is a critical building block to a child’s future success.
Early childhood care and education provides young children, from birth to age 5, with experiences that support school readiness and nurture their cognitive, social, and emotional growth, so they can reach their full potential. It also strengthens the workforce and local economy by allowing parents to work, build a career, and pay their bills.
The need.
Biddeford strives to ensure that all of its children are ready for school, however, data show that less than half of Biddeford children under age 5 are connected to an early childcare or education provider. Biddeford Ready! was created to address this critical community issue.