Educare Language Mentors

Educare Central Maine is the local branch of the national Educare program that serves Waterville and its surrounding towns. The Educare faculty and staff work closely with the mostly low-income families of around 200 children, from before they are born until the age of five, to ensure that their children are engaged, healthy, and ready to enter kindergarten when they leave the program. The Educare Language Mentors program provides Colby language students as mentors for children who speak English as a second language or a language in addition to English. The goal of the mentor is to foster the child’s development of both English and their additional language, while incorporating aspects of that culture into their learning. It’s a great opportunity to practice the language outside of the classroom while helping local families! As of now there are children who speak Spanish, French or Mandarin.