Group wants to give kids ‘great start’

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ESCANABA - The Delta-Schoolcraft Great Start Collaborative is helping to ensure infants and young children in the community are ready to succeed in school and life. The collaborative believes children who get a great start, have a better chance at a great future, which means a better future for all.

Great Start is an initiative launched by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in 2004. It is a movement to create public understanding that learning begins at birth and children undergo more development from the ages of 0-5 than during any other time in their life. The group believes investment in early childhood health, development and learning is crucial to the state's economic future.

Research shows for every $1 spent on children before age 5, there is a return rate ranging from $7 to $17. The return comes from savings on social programs like state assistance, remedial education programs, special education and job training, lower incarceration rates, and higher wage earnings.

Today, every county in Michigan has a Great Start Collaborative (GSC) - a group of community leaders, health and human service agencies, educators and parents, and others. The Delta-Schoolcraft GSC was established in spring 2008.

Delta-Schoolcraft Great Start Director Tara Weaver said the purpose of GSCs is to provide a network of support and resources for families to help ensure infants and children are physically, emotionally and socially healthy so they can develop and learn during these crucial years.

Early childhood programs, which prepare children 0-5 physically, socially, emotionally and intellectually for kindergarten have been cut by more than $200 million in the upcoming state budget.

"It's really scary to see these cuts, that could so easily be done on the backs of our children," said Weaver. "(Children are) our future."

A unique part of the work of Great Start is the formation of a Parent Coalition. The Parent Coalition is a parent-led group that meets to assist and give input to the work of the collaborative. There is a coalition in both Delta and Schoolcraft counties. Parents in the coalition have taken the initiative to advocate and educate legislators on the importance of investing in the first five years of life.

In May, a group of 50 mothers and children from Delta and Schoolcraft counties went to Lansing to meet with local legislators Senate Democratic Leader Mike Prusi, State Rep. Judy Nerat and State Rep. Steven Lindberg. Since then, the parents have kept correspondence with these legislators, especially Prusi, who has become a strong advocate of early childhood education, said Weaver.

In addition to taking an active stance at the state level, the Delta-Schoolcraft GSC is also taking an active stance at the local level. The group published a report of findings after assessing child and family well-being in the community in the spring of 2009. The report revealed some alarming statistics, said Weaver. For example, the data indicates more than 29 percent of pregnant women in Delta County and 40 percent in Schoolcraft are receiving inadequate prenatal care. Additionally, smoking rates continue to be well above the state average with 21 percent of expectant mothers in Delta and 29 percent in Schoolcraft continuing to smoke during pregnancy.

The community report has led to one of the main projects the Delta-Schoolcraft GSC is currently working on, which is a strategic plan for the community. Focus groups were held with various community groups where members were asked why the numbers in the report were the way they were and how they could be changed. The results were taken to the GSC at a strategic review session where members worked together to develop a strategic plan for the next 3-5 years. The plan will map out how the community can work together to improve things for the 0-5 year olds

Weaver and Delta County Parent Coalition Liaison Michele Chenier believe the Great Start Parent Coalition is another great resource for parents.

"The parent coalition is good for parents to take part in, because not only are they there to shape the needs and priorities in the community, but also when you're in a group you start to network with people and it becomes a good support system," said Weaver.

The Great Start Parent Coalition meets monthly in their respective counties. The next meeting of the Delta County Parent Coalition is Oct. 7 at 9 a.m. at the ISD in Escanaba. The next meeting of the Schoolcraft County Coalition, which is headed by Parent Liaison Irma Gonzalez-Hider will be Oct 8 from 6-7:45 p.m. at the Early Learning Center in Manistique. Day care is provided during the meetings.

Delta-Schoolcraft GSC is also working to include even more information on its Web site (www.great-start.org), including a calendar of events so it can become more of a one-stop-shop resource for parents.