SAGADAHOC COUNTY -- Sophie didn't know how much her life was going to change when she learned she was pregnant at age 22. She was terrified of becoming a parent, but she knew that her baby was going to rely on her. Choosing to enroll in a home visiting program called Maine Families was one of the many positive decisions that she made.

According to Sophie, the most beneficial part of the program was the support she received from her Parent Educator, Mackenzie. "The feedback was great and I wanted to make sure I was parenting right by doing what I needed to be doing." Sophie wanted to be sure that her daughter Annabelle, now 3, was meeting all of her developmental milestones. The milestones are just a part of what the trained Parent Educators do with the families they work with. Sophie states that the most beneficial aspect for Annabelle was the activities that Mackenzie brought to each visit. What Sophie doesn't realize though, is that her daughter has benefited from much more than just the activities. Annabelle has benefited from her mom's confidence as a parent that she gained through the home visits with Mackenzie.

During the screening process for Annabelle to attend preschool this fall, her vocabulary was so advance that the teacher had to move into testing her from the 4-year-old category. Sophie said she owes it all to Mackenzie, but she definitely deserves recognition as Annabelle's mother. Mackenzie shared that it was a great privilege to be able to accompany Sophie during the early years of her parenting journey with Annabelle.

Maine Families' goal is to enroll families prenatally, but has something to offer every family. Sophie recommends the Maine Families home visiting program to anyone. For more information, please contact the Maine Families office at (207) 594-1980 or toll-free within Maine at 1-877-972-5804. This office covers the counties of Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc.