Tracye Fortin
Chief Operating Officer, KVCAP Child & Family Services/Educare Central Maine
Tracye Fortin has spent her career in the field of early care and education, committed to quality and systems change with a team approach. Her 40+ years of service have fueled her passion for collaboration through a multitude of public and private partnerships at the local, state and national levels. Joining in the Educare Learning Network’s mission since 2010, Tracye developed a team to lead the vision of Educare Central Maine and its work Beyond-the-Walls.
Tracye holds a master’s degree in Human Development and Social Justice, is a higher education instructor, and her forward thinking is instrumental in building initiatives to create opportunities for children, families, educators, and programs. Tracye stewards high quality services tailored to community needs to positively impact the future of young children and their families.
Educare Central Maine School Director
In her 35+ years in early childhood education, Rhonda Kaiser has been privileged to work as a professor, coach, and trainer of early childhood professionals. She energizes and inspires those she works with to learn from their everyday practices to guide their decision making process.
She holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, and is currently the Educare Central Maine School Director. Leading a school of more than 60 staff, she believes that a positive and healthy school culture and climate is the foundation of a high-quality learning environment that creates the conditions for effective teaching and learning to occur.
Rhonda is the founder of the Maine State Parent Ambassador Program. Her passion to engage families as partners is essential in promoting positive child outcomes and influencing state and national early childhood policies.
Rhonda sits on a variety of state and national advisory boards and holds a 282 teaching certification. She lives in Winthrop with her husband and has two grown daughters.
Educare Central Maine Education Manager
Erica Palmer is a dedicated professional with a passion for early childhood education. Armed with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maine at Farmington, Erica boasts an impressive 15+ year journey in the field.
Her belief in the power of quality early care and education, coupled with integrated family support, has been the driving force behind her career. Erica has worn multiple hats in the industry, serving as a teacher for infants and toddlers, an early childhood coach, and overseeing comprehensive education services for children aged birth to 5 years.
Currently donning the role of Education Manager for Educare Central Maine at KVCAP Child & Family Services, Erica leads a team of 60 staff members committed to delivering an integrated approach to early childhood programming. Her responsibilities extend to fostering parent, family, and community engagement, reflecting her holistic view of education.
Adding to her list of accomplishments, Erica coordinates Educare Central Maine’s Lab School and Learning Hub. In this capacity, she provides training and technical assistance to practitioners both within the state and nationally, contributing to the development of current and future educators.
KVCAP C&FS Early Childhood Coordinator
Katlyn Butler is a KVCAP Child & Family Services Early Childhood Coordinator at the North Elementary and Canaan Preschool locations. She started her career with KVCAP in 2010 at Educare Central Maine as a full-time, full year assistant teacher. She then moved into a supervising lead teacher role at Educare and completed her bachelor’s degree from University of Maine at Farmington. In February of 2020, Katlyn moved into an Early Childhood Coordinator role at North Elementary Preschool as part of the Educare Beyond-the-Walls approach with KVCAP. Currently, she is the Early Childhood Coordinator for all KVCAP programs within MSAD #54, including the Hight Family Early Learning Center in the new Margaret Chase Smith Community School in Skowhegan.
Family Coach Supervisor
Michelle Cesare serves as the Family Coach Supervisor and Family Centered Coaching Trainer at KVCAP. With a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education and Psychology from Utica College of Syracuse University, and over 25 years of experience in family support, Michelle brings a wealth of expertise to her role, and has consistently championed family coaching, a passion ignited during her early days in Early Childhood Education. In her almost 8 years at KVCAP, she has held several roles including HomeStart Coordinator, KVCC Foundation Student Navigator, and Family Coach. She is deeply committed to the Whole Family Approach, believing it to be transformative for the families we serve. Now as the Family Coach Supervisor, Michelle has the opportunity to expand on the family coaching work that has been the ongoing theme of her career. She is a Family Centered Coaching Trainer, is certified to train FCC trainers, and facilitates a monthly statewide coaching connection, fostering collaboration among Family Coaches across Maine. Michelle collaborates closely with community resources to meet the varied needs of families, and has an unwavering dedication to empowering others to pursue their dreams.
KVCAP C&FS Program Director, Early Childhood
Nicole Chaplin has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for more than 20 years. Currently, Nicole works with KVCAP Child & Family Services in collaboration with Somerset County public schools to coordinate and provide preschool programming to more than 200 children and an Early Head Start program for 32 children. Her work includes advocacy for early childhood programming, Educare Beyond-the-Walls efforts, community education and participation on several committees that are working to enhance services to children and families. Her collaboration with MSAD 54 also encompassed planning for and designing the first school in Maine that will house children from birth through fifth grade under one roof. The Hight Family Early Learning Center, housed in the new Margaret Chase Community School in Skowhegan, opened in August 2025. Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, a master’s degree in 21st Century Leadership and an Infant/Toddler certificate from the Erikson Institute. She is also a graduate of the UCLA Head Start Management Fellowship program and has experience in training related to Adverse Childhood Experiences. Nicole is dedicated and passionate about her work and involvement in Somerset communities to enhance the foundation of learning for children and their families.
KVCAP C&FS Child Development and Disabilities Manager
Tammie works as the Child Development and Disabilities Manager for KVCAP Child & Family Services. She has a passion for her work and is dedicated to supporting children’s development needs. She holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maine at Farmington and is working toward completing her credential in Training & Technical Assistance Approaches through Maine Roads to Quality. The vision and mission of KVCAP and Head Start programming are near and dear to Tammie’s heart. Her personal experience as a former Head Start parent solidified her plan to spend her career in the field of early care and education. She began as a substitute teacher and over time grew professionally, obtaining her current role.
KVCAP C&FS Early Childhood Education Supervisor
Julie Elias is a KVCAP Child & Family Services Early Childhood Education Supervisor for infant/toddler classrooms at Educare Central Maine. Prior to joining the Educare staff, Julie provided family child care for more than 20 years. She taught in an infant/toddler classroom for 10 years before moving to her current position where she enjoys the opportunity to share her experiences and passion for early childhood education with the teachers she supervises.
KVCAP C&FS Early Childhood Education Supervisor
Brittany is a KVCAP Child & Family Services Early Childhood Education Supervisor at Educare Central Maine. She started out as a teacher in an infant and toddler classroom working on her bachelor’s degree. After earning a master’s degree, Brittany moved into the coach and supervisor role for infant and toddler classrooms. Brittany also is an adjunct faculty at KVCC and is a Maine Roads to Quality certified trainer. Her passion lies with the youngest children and she wholeheartedly believes that the first three years are imperative to how the rest of their lives will be.
Educare Central Maine Mentor Teacher
Ashley Jones started with Educare as an assistant teacher in an infant and toddler classroom working on finishing her Associate’s degree. After continuing her education for her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education through the University of Maine Farmington, Ashley moved to a supervising lead teacher position in an Infant and Toddler classroom. Ashley’s prior experience in the Early Childhood field was working for various military base Child Development Centers across the country. This started Ashley’s passion for creating inclusive and diverse environments for the children and families she serves. In her current position, Ashley strives to strengthen the high quality practices of other educators through mentorship and collaboration.
Director of Head Start and Children’s Services
Sarah Lavallee has been with KVCAP Child & Family Services for more than 20 years. She began with C&FS as a teacher in a site designed to support teen parents as they attended high school and is currently the Director of Head Start and Children’s Services. Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Relations with a minor in Elementary Education from UMaine Orono and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute. She also holds an Infant-Toddler master’s certificate from the Erikson Institute and a Head Start Family Services Credential. Sarah has a passion for working with infants and toddlers and enjoys supporting parents, providers and staff in their role.
Supervising Teacher/Family Coach
Jamie Maroon has worked at Educare Central Maine since 2019. She was introduced to Educare when she completed her Senior Internship while finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Maine at Farmington. After achieving her degree, Jamie was hired as a Substitute which led to her being offered a full time Teacher position working with Infants and Toddlers. Since then she has worked with infants, toddlers and preschoolers and will be starting a new position supporting the opening of a new classroom at a local community college location as the Supervising Teacher/Family Services Coordinator. Jamie has found passion working with the whole family and looks forward to working in the classroom as well as supporting families and parents on their own hopes and dreams.
Infant/Toddler Partnership Manager
Jami Pollis has been in the field of Early Childhood Education since 1995. Jami joined KVCAP in 2011 starting out as an Infant/Toddler teacher at Educare and growing into her current role as the Infant/Toddler Partnership Manager for KVCAP Child & Family Services (C&FS) as part of their Educare Beyond-the Walls efforts. In her role, Jami oversees Early Head Start Childcare Partnerships with both Family Child Care and Community Based Center programs within central Maine providing early childhood education to children 6 weeks to age 4. Jami holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from the University of Kansas, an Infant/Toddler certificate from the Erikson Institute, a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Pacific Oaks College, and a Technical Assistance Credential through Maine Roads to Quality. Additionally, Jami is adjunct instructor at Thomas College as part of their Lunder School of Education and a trainer for Maine Roads to Quality. Supporting professional development of early childhood professionals through the use of different forms of technical assistance is something that she feels passionately about and is grateful to have an opportunity to provide.
KVCAP C&FS Early Childhood Education Supervisor
Sara Wilkes is a KVCAP Child & Family Services Early Childhood Education Supervisor for the part-day/ part-year preschool program at Educare Central Maine. She began her career at Educare in 2012 as a practicum II student with KVCC. During her practicum, she was hired as a substitute, and then hired as a full-time assistant teacher in December of 2012. Sara transitioned to a lead preschool teacher in 2015 once she completed her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from University of Maine at Farmington, and in 2019 she entered her current role as a coach/supervisor. Sara’s favorite part of her position is supporting preschool staff throughout the agency with professional development opportunities within the PreK for ME curriculum. Sara is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.