Education WOW!

Last year, Michigan’s early childhood educators accepted a challenge. Despite dramatically reduced funding from the state, they needed to find a way to support parents in Michigan’s 83 counties in their critical role as their child’s first teacher. To meet the challenge, a committee of intermediate school district (ISD) administrators turned to technology.

The result is the MI Great Parents Web site at www.migreatparents.org, which offers high-quality information and resources to parents throughout Michigan. The site is colorful, easy-to-use, and rich with resources for parents of young children. Best of all, each county uses a common template to easily create its own unique set of information, meaning parents have access not only to state-level resources but also to those in their own back yard.

The common template, designed and underwritten by Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD), presents a unified look and message using Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s theme—Great Start. Visitors to the home page can simply click their county on Michigan’s map. A user-friendly page then offers community-specific information regarding activities, health, services, resources, child care, and parenting. By clicking on “Great Parents—Link to Ideas & Information,” visitors find dozens of statewide resources on learning, child development, and more.

Early childhood educators and service providers throughout Michigan have worked to make this Web site pilot project a success. However, several key participants deserve special recognition. Bob Redmond, Branch ISD Superintendent, and Sue Javid, Early Childhood Consultant at MISD, provided leadership. MISD Superintendent Michael R. DeVault and the MISD Board of Education funded the project, and MISD’s Kathy Fandale provided technical expertise as Web site producer.

Counties are still building their Web pages. A visit to the site reveals that some counties, like Macomb, Branch, Allegan, Lapeer, Presque Isle, and Cheboygan contain many resources. Some, like Newaygo County, have even created extra pages that add to the Web site’s value. Others are still working to fill in the framework. Javid expects a new 30-minute informational video to help.

“We’re so excited about this project,” said Sue Javid. “We started out with a very simple idea, but when our technology department got involved, we started to see all the possibilities. We ended up with an exciting, powerful tool that we believe has tremendous potential to be adapted and replicated all over the nation.”

To request an informational video, contact: Sue Javid, Early Childhood Consultant, Consultant Services, Macomb Intermediate School District, 44001 Garfield Rd., Clinton Township, MI 44038, (586) 228-3480, sjavid@misd.net.

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