Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project Is Launched
by Lindy Buch, Supervisor,
Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services, Michigan Department of Education
Michigan has over 70 different programs and initiatives focused on children and their families so that all children will have a great start at learning. Through Project Great Start, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm will bring together these programs and initiatives to serve children under one umbrella. Through the project, the governor has started a movement that will help every Michigan citizen understand the critical importance of the early years.
To that end, the federal Bureau of Maternal and Child Health has granted Michigan funds for a two-year strategic planning effort to develop a blueprint for a comprehensive system of early childhood programs and services. The Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project effort brings together a steering committee—the Early Childhood Core Team—composed of parents, community members, and government agency personnel working on early childhood activities. Every Michigan citizen is encouraged to learn more about these activities and to participate in a virtual discussion table at
www.greatstartforkids.org.
A New Vision
The Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project has a vision: A Great Start for every child in Michigan: Safe, healthy, and eager to succeed in school and in life.
The Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Project also requires that the state must measure Michigan’s efforts to achieve a great start for every child and report progress toward this goal.
Measuring Progress
A group of over 200 people, in teams of five representing many counties and inter-mediate school districts, gathered in Lansing on February 4, 2004 for the Great Results for Young Children Summit. This event kicked off an effort to define outcomes and indicators that will help Michigan measure its progress to achieve. Elizabeth Burke Bryant of Rhode Island Kids Count addressed the group. Bryant is leading a three-year national project involving 17 states that are involved with this type of evaluation work. Every community in Michigan will have an opportunity to provide input to this process of determining statewide outcomes and indicators for the system that serves young children and their families.
For more information, contact: Lindy Buch, Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services, Michigan Department of Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 373-8483, BuchL@michigan.gov.
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