Muskegon Public Schools Promotes Connections for School Success

Program Helps Foster School/Community Relations, Parenting Skills

Imagine more than 200 parents, caregivers, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers gathered with their neighbors at a nearby school. In small groups, they are guided by one of 60 volunteers from health and human services agencies or their local school district. Families and volunteers eat dinner together and rotate through fun learning activities featuring nutrition, infant massages, literacy tips, reading demonstrations, homemade crafts and games, health screenings, and community resources. Repeatedly, the words, “I never knew about that” are overheard.

Thanks to strong community collaboration and grant funding provided to the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) through the Michigan Department of Education, the “Hero Party” described above is a reality! It is a celebration of the hard work done everyday by parents and caregivers (otherwise known as “heroes”) of young children. The first Hero Party was piloted at Muskegon Public Schools in March 2004 and coordinated by MAISD and the Muskegon County Parenting Collaborative (schools and health and human service agencies). Since then, MAISD and the collaborative have held five more parties in urban, rural, and suburban school districts. More than 1,000 Muskegon county residents have participated in the free event that focuses on reaching families with children age five and younger.

The goal of the Hero Party was designed around early childhood research and the understanding that stimulating experiences are important factors in future school success. Hero Parties also introduce young families to information about appropriate child development experiences that enhance language and cognitive and emotional development.

In celebratory, informative, and engaging ways, the Hero Party connects families to agency resources, neighborhood schools, and other families who reside within their community. Volunteers who guide families from activity to activity stay with and support the families throughout the entire evening. Volunteers model appropriate adult/child interactions, encourage parent/child involvement, and provide learning materials for parents and caregivers to take home. This design allows for a more informal, personal level of interaction meant to help family members feel comfortable while they get the chance to enjoy a positive, stimulating experience with their family. The collaborative approach also makes the Hero Party model very affordable since costs are spread among community partners.

Hero parties are just one of several collaborative initiatives underway in the local community as part of Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s “Project Great Start,” which focuses on serving parents of children ages zero to five. The Great Parents, Great Start Muskegon Grant is meant to improve school readiness, foster the maintenance of stable families, encourage early literacy, and encourage positive parenting skills.

For more information, contact: Kristin Tank, MAISD Public Information Coordinator, (231) 767-7263, ktank@muskegonisd.org; Wendy Pulte, Great Parents, Great Start Project Coordinator, (231) 767-7282, wpulte@muskegonisd.org; or visit www.muskegonisd.org and click on “For Schools” to read a detailed agenda and planning documents for a Hero Party. For more information about the Great Parents, Great Start grant, visit MDE Web site.

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