Giving Michigans Kids a Great Start

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Giving Michigans Kids a Great Start
Presented ToThe NGA Center for Best
Practices Annual Retreat for Governors Human
Services Policy Advisors By Pamela
Paul-Shaheen, Dr.P.H. Health and Human Services
Policy Advisor Office of the Governor June 18,
2005
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Focus of the Presentation

• Profiling Michigans Children
• The Importance of 0 - 5
• The Governors Great System
• The Role of the Childrens Cabinet
• The Early Child Investment Corporation

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Profiling Michigans Children

• People under the age of 18 2,256,544
• Under 5 years 672,005
• 2004 Graduates 98,821
• 2003 Graduation Rate 90
• Of Graduates
• 49,809 attend a 2 or 4 year degree program
• 3,161 attend a non-degree program
• 2003 US Census
• Center for Educational Performance and
  Information

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Profiling Michigans Children

• Percent of Children in Low-income Families
• Michigan National
• Overall 34 38
• Black 66 60
• White 26 26
• Latino 43 62
• Asian (Too Small of Sample) 28

Rate of Children in Low-Income Families
Varies Widely by State (2004)
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The Importance of 0 - 5

• NGA Statement
• The first years in a child's life are critical
  to healthy brain development
• and future academic success. They provide a
  short window of
• opportunity with enormous implications for the
  rest of a childs life.
• Research shows that early childhood education
  significantly improves
• the scholastic success and educational
  achievements of poor children
• even into early adulthood. Moreover,
  high-quality, targeted
• interventions, such as preschool and home
  visiting programs, save
• money by preventing future expenses for remedial
  education,
• incarceration, and cash assistance.

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The Importance of 0 5 (Continued)

• Human development is powerfully affected by
  contextual surroundings
• and experiences.
• A childs day-to-day experiences affect the
  structural and functional
• development of his or her brain.
• Such experiences influence every childs
  development and learning
• and have long-term consequences for the child,
  family, and society.

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The Importance of 0 - 5 (Continued)

• Research of high-quality, intensive early
  childhood education programs for
• low-income children confirm
• Greater school success
• Higher graduation rates
• Lower juvenile crime
• Decreased need for special education services
  later
• Lower adolescent pregnancy rates
• Children who attend high-quality early childhood
  programs demonstrate
• Better math and language skills
• Better cognition and social skills
• Better interpersonal relationships
• Better behavioral self-regulation

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The Childrens Cabinet

• Appointed by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, the
• Cabinet is directed by Marianne Udow, Department
  of Human
• Services Director.
• Governors Directive
• Focus on strengthening early childhood
  development and
• education programs and training of child care
  workers in
• Michigan.

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The Childrens Cabinet (Continued)

• Cabinet Members
• Marianne Udow Janet Olszewski
• Director Director
• Department of Human Services Department of
  Community Health
• Mike Flanagan David Hollister
• Superintendent Director
• Department of Education Department of Labor and
• Economic Growth

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The Childrens Cabinet (Continued)

• Cabinets Charge
• Improve program effectiveness and resource
  efficiency with regard to programs developed and
  implemented on behalf of children and their
  families
• Provide leadership to the Childrens Action
  Network and other state led initiatives related
  to children that invoice citizen, advocacy, and
  similar groups in their makeup
• Share knowledge and research about emerging
  issues related to children
• Review and evaluate the outcomes of child focused
  programs and services and make recommendations
  for improvements and
• Reach out to communities, foundations,
  legislators, advocacy groups, and others to
  understand local priorities, resources, and share
  best practices.

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The Childrens Cabinet (Continued)

• Accomplishments to Date

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The Childrens Cabinet (Continued)

• Challenges and Lessons Learned
• Challenges
• Lessons Learned

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Introducing the Great Start System

• Governor Jennifer Granholm launched Project Great
  Start in her 2003 State of the State
• address.
• This new initiative is a movement that challenges
  all Michiganians to recognize that learning
  begins at birth not when a child enters school.
• Through this effort, the Governor intends that
  all Michigan citizens will recognize that
  investment in the earliest years of life leads to
  productive citizens and dividends throughout
  life.
• The Governors commitment served as a catalyst
  for parents, community leaders, advocates, the
  Childrens Cabinet, and other state agencies to
  join forces in making Project Great Start a
  reality.
• Utilizing federal grant support, the blueprint
  for Project Great Start was developed.
• The seeds for a comprehensive early childhood
  system of services and supports, accessible to
  every child in Michigan from birth to
  kindergarten, have been planted.

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The Great Start System

• Vision
• A Great Start to make every child in Michigan
  safe, healthy, and eager to
• succeed in school and in life.
• Mission
• The purpose of Great Start is to assure a
  coordinated system of
• community resources and supports to help all
  Michigan families provide a
• great start for their children from birth to age
  five.

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The Great Start System

• System Components
• Physical Health
• Social-Emotional Health
• Family Support
• Basic Needs, Economic Stability, and Safety
• Parenting Education
• Early Education and Child Care

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The Great Start System

• System Components (Continued)
• The Great Start system is voluntary. Parents are
  actively engaged in choosing the types and
  amounts of services and supports they want and
  need.
• The heart of the Great Start system local
  communities.
• Intermediate School Districts identify and/or
  convene a Great Start Collaborative a local
  decisionmaking body that
• Links existing early childhood services
• Develops strategies for identifying and filling
  gaps in services, and
• Ensures that all of the Great Start system
  components are available to every child in the
  community.

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The Role of the ECIC

• The Early Child Investment Corporation (ECIC)
• is the entity that will oversee the development
• and implementation of the Great Start system.

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ECIC Structure and Governance

• Partnership between the Department of Human
  Services and Intermediate School Districts
  (ISDs).
• A nonprofit corporation, housed within the
  Department of Human Services and operating
  simultaneously within the public and private
  sectors.
• An independent Board of Directors, governed by a
  15-member Executive Committee appointed by the
  Governor. Includes leaders in government the
  nonprofit sector business civic, faith, and
  community groups and parents will be recruited
  as members of the Board.
• The Executive Committee will hire a CEO.
• Every ISD/community has the opportunity to become
  a Great Start Community.
• 5 to 7 will be operationalized in the first phase
• Final target every ISD/community in Michigan

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Core Goals

• Serve as a clearinghouse of information,
  resources, and technical assistance for early
  childhood system-building efforts.
• Through its public/private partnership, serve as
  the focal point and convener in Michigan for the
  development and leadership of the Great Start
  system (The private and public sectors work
  together in the strategic development and
  financial support of the Great Start system.)
• Partner with and support local communities
  through Great State Collaboratives.