Family Support Services

We offer expanded services for pregnant women, new moms, and their families in Hancock and Washington counties:

Maine Families (Hancock County) provides in-home parenting information while developing caring, supportive relationships with parents. See below for more information about our program.
WIC (Hancock and Washington counties) works to maintain the health of women, infants and children up to age five by providing information on eating well and vouchers for healthy foods. See below for more information about our program.

Sexual Health Resources for Parents

We believe parents are the primary sexuality educators of their children and can play an important role in helping young people make healthy decisions about sex. Research shows that youth are more confident in their decisions when they can talk with a trusted adult in their lives. This doesn’t mean it’s easy to talk about these sensitive topics with your kids. See below for resources for speaking to your children about these topics.

Family Planning Clinical Services

Just because you’ve already started your family doesn’t mean you don’t need family planning services! Whether you’re looking to plan the timing of your next pregnancy, are finished having children, or simply need ongoing, expert reproductive health care to stay healthy, we’re still here for you.

Need help? If you have difficulty understanding English or have a disability, free language assistance or other aids and services are available upon request. Please contact your Local WIC Clinic agency for more information.

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Maine Family Planning’s WIC program works to maintain the health of women, infants and children up to age five by providing information on healthy eating and vouchers for healthy foods.

Our WIC program is open to people living in Hancock and Washington counties, including migrants working in these counties, who are any of the following:

Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or had a baby in the last six months.
Infants and children up to the age of five, including adopted and foster children.
Fathers may apply for their children.

Getting WIC benefits is simple. Call one of our WIC offices (below) to make an appointment. Your first appointment will take about an hour of your time – an hour that can benefit you and your children for the rest of your lives.

Find out if you are eligible for the WIC program by using this prescreening tool.

Maine Family Planning WIC Offices

Maine Family Planning operates three WIC offices:

Calais

10 Barker St., Suite D
207-454-3634
800-924-2628

Ellsworth

248 State St. (Mill Mall)
207-667-5304
800-492-5550

Machias

247 Main St., Suite 2
207-255-8280
800-313-1223

WIC Resources

WIC Non-Discrimination Policy

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy

WIC : Healthy Food from National WIC Association on Vimeo.

Find more WIC resources here.

Did you know that most teens want their parents and caregivers to share information with them about sexual health topics? It’s true!

At the same time, we understand that these conversations between parents and children do not come easily. Here are a few tips and resources for parents.

Quick tips:

Reassure your kids that they are normal
Be receptive to your child’s questions – you don’t need to be an expert
Don’t wait to be asked – use teachable moments when watching a movie or listening to music to start a conversation
Use correct terms when sharing information
Remember it’s not about having the big talk – it’s about having many, ongoing conversations

Looking for even more information? Here are some online resources we like:

Teachingsexualhealth.ca Check out the Parent Portal for information on sexual development, communication, bullying, healthy relationships, and sexual diversity, and contains webisodes on how to talk to your kids about these issues.
Kids Health This site has helpful information on talking with your kids, information on puberty, and surviving adolescence.
PFLAG This site is for parents, families, and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

Maine Families works to make your life as a parent a little easier and more satisfying, so you can give your child the best possible start in life.

Professional home visitors provide timely parenting information while developing caring supportive relationships with parents. Maine Families services are offered at no charge to families.

During the first meeting, the home visitor talks about what services will be available to you. Visits will be scheduled at your convenience and will focus on your stage of pregnancy or on the age of your baby. You may be offered books, educational materials, videos and other tools that may be borrowed.

Maine Families topics include:

pregnancy
nutrition
baby and child health care
breastfeeding/formula feeding
immunizations
child growth and development
discipline
toilet training
child safety
household safety
local resources

If you live in Hancock County and are expecting or parenting a baby, you are invited to take part in Maine Families at no charge. Call 667-5304 or email for more information.

Maine Families Play Group

Our Maine Families program is now offering a play group for infants and toddlers (birth to 3 years) and their parent(s) or other caregiver(s). There is no charge for attending this group.

This weekly play group is held:

Every Thursday
10:00 to 11:30 am
Congregational Church of Ellsworth
2 Church Street
(across from the court house)

No Registration Needed!

Stop by and join us any Thursday!

For more information call Maine Families at: 667-5304, ext. 225

Maine Families is funded by the Federal Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grant and administered by DHHS.

Child Welfare League of America — Nonpartisan policy and advocacy organization for children. Updates on federal legislation and action alerts. Information about other resources on children’s issues.
HealthyChildren.org – The section for parents has excellent articles including ‘Adolescent Sexuality: Talk the Talk Before They Walk the Walk’.
Home Safety Council – Safe Kids Worldwide is a global organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children.
KidsHealth — Includes information on children’s health and parenting.
March of Dimes – Helps moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.
National Fatherhood Initiative – Increases involvement of fathers to improve the lives of children.
Search Institute — An independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities.
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) — Focuses primarily on the adults in the lives of gifted children. SENG provides information on identification, guidance, and effective ways to live and work with gifted individuals.
ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families – Provides parents, professionals, and policymakers the knowledge to nuture early development.