This winter, Pine Tree Society expanded its programming to Auburn through the acquisition of Pathways, Inc.
“It is in our Strategic Plan to develop satellite locations and Lewiston-Auburn rose to the top as an underserved area where we could have immediate impact,” said Noel Sullivan, President & CEO. “Pathways had programs in place for young children, adults and seniors that we were able to begin working with versus starting from scratch.”
For Shelley Zielinski, Adult Services Supervisor, this acquisition has already made a difference in the community. “For many, the perception of Pathways was that it was a work program when, in fact, the programming includes early learning, community support, case management and so much more. Pine Tree Society has helped with all of that.”
Karen McClure-Richard, Director of The Early Learning Center, agrees. “The support and excitement is there.”
The Early Learning Center provides early intervention and special education programming for children ages three through six.
“It’s important to identify the needs of children as early as possible. It helps so much with their success,” continued McClure-Richard. “Our program identifies what each child needs to be successful in school. When a child transitions to kindergarten, we already understand what they need to succeed and we develop a plan for the school so they can utilize all the things we have learned about how that particular child learns.”