Jill Armentrout of Birch Run is Parent Liaison for the Saginaw County Great Start Collaborative. In this position contracted through the Saginaw Intermediate School District, she coordinates the Parent Coalition, bringing the parent voice to the early childhood system and outreach to families. She is the mother of two daughters.
Leading researchers have found that the brain experiences its most
rapid growth in the earliest years, with as much as 90 percent of
intellectual and emotional brain development taking place by a child’s
5th birthday.
But finding high quality early learning and care can be a daunting
task for parents. Personally evaluating every program in their area
would be time-consuming and few parents are up on the latest early
childhood trends and research to best analyze available programs.
That’s where greatstartCONNECT.org can help. It’s a one-stop online
source for parents to find child care and preschool that fits their
needs, and get information and resources on quality. The site also
connects educators and providers to training and resources.
Launched by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation in 2010,
Michigan’s greatstartCONNECT.org is a nationally recognized searchable
database of licensed early learning and care programs. This
easy-to-use website is accessible to families 24/7 and is an essential
resource for families in search of licensed local child care and
preschool.
A new STAR rating system is tied to Michigan’s standards for early
learning programs, awarding STARS from one to five, with five being
the highest quality. Currently licensed providers are assessing their
programs and staff is conducting rating validations across the state.
Starting in mid-December, parents will be able to see how licensed
programs are rated when they visit www.greatstartCONNECT.org.
The Great Start to Quality Resource Center for the Eastern Region is
based in Saginaw and provides consultation, training and workforce
development to early learning educators including child care
providers, preschool teachers and relative caregivers. This region
covers eight counties: Bay, Arenac, Huron, Lapeer, Sanilac, St. Clair,
Saginaw and Tuscola.
The center also provides community outreach in the region about the
importance of high quality early learning settings. Leaders want
parents to understand what high quality care is and what it looks
like. Having that knowledge will help them make the best choices in
child care/preschool for their child.
When families access the statewide web site, they can perform their
own referral search for licensed child care and preschools.
Individuals without access to the Internet can call the Eastern Region
office at (877) 614-7328. The Resource Center also provides resource
libraries across the region where parents and providers can check out
learning materials to use with children.
The Resource Center is part of the statewide Great Start early
childhood system, which includes Great Start Collaboratives and Parent
Coalitions from each of the counties in the region.
“Collaborating together allows us to hear the local needs and to
brainstorm ways to work together to provide training and education for
providers and parents,” said Julie Bash of Bay City, the Resource
Center program director for the Eastern Region and a mom of three
boys. “We have similar goals: we want all children to enter
kindergarten prepared to succeed in school and in life.”
“Children who participate in high quality early childhood programs
tend to be more successful in later school, are more competent
socially and emotionally and show better verbal, intellectual and
physical development during early childhood than children who are not
enrolled in high quality programs,” Bash said.
The mission of Great Start is to ensure that all children enter
Kindergarten safe, healthy and ready to succeed in school and in life.
Every county in the state has a Great Start Collaborative and Parent
Coalition.
The first five years of life are pivotal in shaping a child’s future.
But in Michigan – only about 40 percent of eligible 4 year olds are
attending preschool. Great Start advocates for secure, sustained
funding for services for families and children – including early
education, parent support and education such as home visits and
classes, physical and emotional health and parent leadership.
Great Start Collaboratives are partnerships of parents, community
agencies, business leaders, educators, health care providers, faith
and philanthropic leaders – all working together and committed to
establishing and maintaining a comprehensive early childhood system
that addresses all factors that have an impact on a child’s readiness
for school and life.
For more information about Great Start in the Great Lakes Bay Region,
visit www.greatstartsaginaw.org, www.bayarenacgreatstart.org or
www.greatstartmidland.org.