“Joyful, Meaningful Math” Initiative for Early Learners Launches
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What if the path to long-term academic success begins not with worksheets but with the joy of discovering math in puddles, pinecones, patterns, and play?This is the question MMSA math team members Cheryl Tobey and Kate Greeley posed to facilitators and educators at the launch of the Building Strong Foundations: An Early Numeracy Initiative professional learning series on February 27.
With support from the Maine Department of Education, MMSA is leading this professional development series aiming to establish positive views of math at an early age by helping educators to:
- Build early numeracy content knowledge
- Develop a practical toolkit of instructional routines and engaging math games
- Deliver extended numeracy opportunities, connecting classrooms with families and the broader community
Throughout the year, educators participating in this series will focus on deepening progressions in early mathematics, strengthening effective “math talk” strategies, and exploring culturally responsive approaches to family engagement. Rather than treating math as a scripted subject, this initiative centers on helping teachers recognize and nurture the mathematical thinking already present in children’s play and daily routines.
Building Strong Foundations aligns with Maine’s statewide Action Plan(opens in a new tab) to strengthen early and foundational numeracy learning, and educators attending the meeting acknowledged the potential for their students.
“My ‘why’ of being here is wanting to discover successful ways to teach math and make it more fun,” Teeya Harmon, a second-grade teacher at Jonesport Elementary School, said.
For Marni Crowley, a pre-K teacher at Jonesport Elementary School, the series represents an investment in long-term success. By strengthening early numeracy through practical instructional routines, deeper content knowledge, and meaningful community connections, the initiative aims to support improved outcomes in later years.
“Our school has struggled with math scores, and my hope is this will help lay a good foundation for our older grades,” Crowley said.
By the conclusion of this launch event, participating educators left with a shared commitment to reimagine early math not as isolated lessons but as something woven into children’s curiosity, creativity, and connection to the natural world. Over the next two sessions, educators will continue to build on the idea that numeracy is not simply foundational, it is also joyful, visible, and alive in the everyday experiences of Maine’s youngest learners.
To learn more about this initiative, visit the project page, and for more about MMSA’s math professional development approach, visit the math support page.
Kate Greeley
Math Consultant
Cheryl Tobey
STEM Education Specialist