A New Direction for Child Care QualityIn the end, it's all about the children.
That core belief was the impetus behind Early Childhood Investment Corporation's review of the child care quality contracts it administers across Michigan.
With the economy worsening and the state Senate proposing that Michigan cut hundreds of millions of dollars from early childhood programs for fiscal year 2010, wringing the most out of every dollar is vital.
To that end, ECIC conducted focus groups and surveys with parents, child care providers and training service providers across the state to find out how they thought the child quality contract system could be improved. Read More...
 Key Findings from New Early Childhood Survey
A new survey shows voters in Michigan see early childhood development and education programs as an absolute necessity for their community. Click to read complete summary of key findings.
The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) was created in August of 2005 to ensure that every young child in Michigan has a Great Start and arrives at the kindergarten door healthy and ready to succeed in school, with parents who are committed to educational achievement. Accomplishing this important goal is not the work of any one organization or individual but will take the combined efforts of parents, community leaders, business, the legislature, state and local government, faith-based organizations, and philanthropy.
The ECIC is uniquely positioned as a public corporation to bring state and local leaders together on behalf of a better life for Michigan's youngest learners and their families.
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Child Care Quality RFPs Social-Emotional Health and School Readiness: A Guide for Parents with Children Birth to Age 5 (2009) This resource was developed by the Social-Emotional Health Advisory Committee to ECIC. It is a basic guide for parents who want to help their young children (birth to age five) to be socially and emotionally healthy so they can succeed in school and life. The guide addresses the following questions: What is social-emotional health? How does it affect school readiness? How can I tell if my child is socially and emotionally healthy? What can I do to support my child�s social-emotional health? How does discipline affect social-emotional health? What if I have concerns about my child�s social-emotional health? Where can I learn more about social-emotional health?
Click to download (PDF)
The 12-page guide is written using Grade 6 reading level and presented in an attractive, easy-to-read format (in English only). You may reproduce (print, make photocopies, or download) this publication without prior permission, as long as you provide proper attribution to the source in all copies and do not use them for commercial purposes.
Great Start Parent Liaison Institute
The Parent Institute was held on January 29th and 30th to provide technical assistance and training for local Parent Liaisons and parent representatives from the local Parent Coalitions. Approximately 100 people participated and gained skills, tips, and tools for coordinating and developing their local Parent Coalition. Great Start Parent Coalitions are local entities developed to ensure that needs and voice of parents of young children are represented in the Great Start Collaborative assessment and planning process. They also work to to assist in building public will and support for early childhood investment through advocacy and education activities with parents, community members and policy-makers at the local and state level. Download Documents & Read More Pediatric Medical Home Summit
On February 13, 2009, the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), and the Head Start State Collaboration Office hosted a policy summit on Pediatric Medical Homes at the Lansing Center in Lansing, MI. It brought together members of the Michigan executive and legislative branches; health policy leaders; business and healthcare organizations; health care professionals; parents and family advocates; organizations representing vulnerable populations and children with special health care needs; and state and local health agencies to begin building a strong coalition of stakeholders to champion and advance Pediatric Medical Homes in Michigan. Download Documents & Read More
2008 MICHIGAN EARLY CHILDHOOD CHALLENGE
On November 13, 2007, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) hosted more than 150 stakeholders for its 1st Annual Michigan Early Childhood Challenge. From this meeting came a set of ten recommendations for Michigan's first, consensus policy agenda for young children and their families. Through strategic advocacy and education on the part of ECIC, the Great Start Collaboratives and the Great Start Parent Coalitions, steps are now being taken by state government to improve the quality of publicly funded child care, more slots were made available in the Great Start School Readiness Program and the Great Start Collaborative network will be complete in FY 2009 - one year ahead of plan.
ECIC hosted its 2nd Annual Michigan Early Childhood Challenge on November 18, 2008 at the Lansing Center in Lansing, Michigan. This important convocation of leaders for early childhood provided a compelling picture of the current and unfortunately deteriorating status of young children in Michigan; allowed for the sharing of the work to date of the Children of Color Summits ECIC has hosted with community leaders from Native American, Latino, Arab American and African American communities in Michigan; sought the advice of early childhood partners regarding critical issues that ECIC Strategic Planning Committee and Executive Committee ought to consider in creation of the ECIC's early childhood policy agenda for FY 2010; and strengthened connections and alignment of effort between ECIC and its early childhood partners at the local and state levels.
The agenda and materials from the 2nd Annual Michigan Early Childhood Challenge are available to view online by clicking here.
Early Childhood Quality Improvements - House Bills Passed
The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) recognizes and applauds the continuous improvement efforts the Department of Human Services (DHS) has implemented to improve child care quality. A quality child care system in Michigan is critical to Michigan's working families and Michigan needs to do everything it can to ensure that quality and access are maintained for all Michigan's children.
As a partner in the early childhood system, ECIC is working with the DHS to review the current Child Care Development Fund spending designated to improve child care quality. The ECIC and DHS are striving to improve child care quality while utilizing maximum effectiveness and efficiency.
The DHS Child Care system is a complex system with multiple provider types, regulated and unregulated. Each provider type is managed by their own set of regulations, including provider reimbursements. Significant to Michigan, is the fact that the majority of children in subsidized care are in the unregulated care of relative providers and day care aides.
The DHS has been engaged in continuous improvement for quite some time and has been working hand-in-hand with Michigan legislators to improve child care quality. The recently passed House Bills regarding child day care are an example of this continued improvement. View the House Bills as passed here:
Public funding will continue to be at risk as long as there is a system that can not be truly accountable. The ECIC supports efforts to find a balance between parental choice and accountability. The audit can be reviewed at the following link: www.audgen.michigan.gov
Governor Proposes Increase for Early Childhood
Governor Jennifer Granholm's FY2009 budget presented last week to the legislature, signals potential important gains for Michigan children and families aimed at early childhood development and school readiness.
The budget calls for spending $31.5 million to expand early childhood learning opportunities and statewide implementation of local Great Start Collaboratives as part of Michigan's Great Start initiative. The legislature must concur before the funding will be available.
In her weekly radio address, the Governor said that her recommendations "will help move Michigan forward by educating our children and our adults, by protecting our families, and making health care more accessible and, yes, by creating jobs."
A majority of the increase, $24 million, is targeted to address waiting lists for pre-school slots in the "Great Start Readiness Program" (formerly the Michigan School Readiness Program). More than 7,000 more children would have pre-school opportunities as a result. The $24 million increase would bring total spending of the program to $117.6 million. School-based programs would be increased by $22 million to $102.9 million for 30,300 children. Non-school based programs would be increased by $2 million to $14.7 million to serve 4,300 children. The program provides $3,400 per child.
The Governor also proposed an additional $5 million for the expansion of local Great Start Collaboratives. Currently, Michigan has 21 local Great Start Collaboratives. The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) is expected to announce 10 new Great Start Communities next month thanks to an increase in funding provided in the FY2008 budget. The goal is to see that all Michigan children and their families have a Great Start Collaborative as an important resource for birth-5 in their communities.
Finally, the Governor's budget includes $2.5 million for innovation grants to work with Great Start Collaboratives to develop evidenced-based practices that provide children from birth to five with quality early learning environments that promote school readiness. Among the proposed projects:
- Provide professional development opportunities for child care providers that identify early learning opportunities for children at risk of not being prepared to succeed in school;
- Create quality rating improvement systems that help parents identify quality early learning environments for their children;
- Encourage creative community-based approaches to expand early learning opportunities for at-risk children; and,
- Implement an early development inventory to assess a child's development and uses that inventory tool to target community resources toward improving academic outcomes for at-risk children.
The new emphasis on early childhood funding comes on the heels of the first annual Michigan Early Childhood Challenge hosted in November by ECIC. More than 150 stakeholders from across Michigan participated in setting the state's first state-wide consensus early childhood agenda.
Governor Granholm kicked off the Challenge and was later presented with the group's recommendations and priorities for early childhood policy and direction which are aimed at ensuring Ready Kids 2020.
Fight Crime's Chairman Urges Members of Congress to Invest in Parent Education, Home Visitation
Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, National Chairman of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, addressed a congressional committee yesterday where he shared the impact that parent education and home visitation by a nurse had on preventing child abuse and neglect.
Click here for article from the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
Intermediate School Districts: If you are interested in applying for the Fiscal Year 2008 Great Start Collaborative RFP, please click here.
Great Start Collaboratives in the News:
Community sharpens focus on preschool
Great Start Collaborative presents findings to community
Starting them off right the right move
It is one thing to acknowledge that the first five years of a child's life pretty much determine how he or she will turn out for life. Acting on that belief is really something else again.Yet that is just what the Great Start Collaborative of Muskegon County, a 45-member coalition of local citizens, has spent the past year doing.
Collaborative looks to give county kids a great start
But a county collaborative that believes early childhood development is key to shaping a successful child and community is working to do something about it."Everyone has a role to move this agenda," said Jerry Johnson, spokesman for the Genesee Intermediate School District. The Genesee County Great Start Collaborative's agenda includes things such as coordinating existing early childhood programs, expanding high-quality day care capacity, promoting awareness of programs and issues, and advocating for more early childhood programs and services
Great Start Community Report
The Great Start Collaborative seeks to address the issues facing children with an holistic approach bringing together schools, agencies, parents, business, the faith community and government. The Genesee County Great Start Collaborative is funded by, and working in partnership with, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation to prepare, and then implement, the Genesee County Early Childhood Action Agenda.
Budget Agreement Will Help Early Childhood Education (11/02/07)
LANSING - The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) today announced that the budget agreement reached by the Governor and the Legislature early Wednesday includes important increases in funding to help Michigan's youngest learners get off to a great start in learning and life. Read Full News Release
Education Testing Service (ETS) was featured as part of the National
Press Club's "Newsmakers" series for the release of their publication The Family:
America's Smallest School. The publication addresses how the family
and home "undeniably" impact child growth and development. Read summary | Go to report
The National Governors Association Fall 2007 Newsletter, Bright Futures: Early Childhood Developments in the States, highlights the Michigan Early Childhood
Challenge, click here to read more.
Recent Press Coverage:
- Education has to start with the very young, editorial from Dan DeGrow, superintendent of the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency and ECIC Corporate Board Member.
- Conference explores early childhood education issues
The Minnesota Daily 12/10/2007
- Panel: Benefits Of Early Child Education Vital Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, www.yankton.net, 12/12/2007
- The importance of early education:
Panel stresses need for funding to implement variety of programs
, Colleen Walsh, Harvard University Gazette
- Children's Bad Behavior Gives Insights to Academic Achievement and Later Career Success, National Science Foundation, 11/26/2007
- Study Links Preschool Behavior to Academic Success, Salem-News, 11/26/2007
- Grading Michigan Schools: Learning Must Start From Birth MPR
- County investing in youth, Lynn Moore, Muskegon Chronicle, Nov. 05, 2007
- Early education funding helps, Judy Samelson, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, (Daily Press), Oct. 29, 2007
- Getting a "Great Start" education, Shenikwa Stratford, www.NBC24.com
- Early childhood programs not making up the cuts of past years, Kathy Barks Hoffman
(Associated Press Writer), Oct. 14, 2007
- "Early childhood report shows areas of need," Kalamazoo Gazette, Sept. 06, 2007
- "Advocates: Invest in Youth," The Oakland Press, Aug. 24, 2007
- "Advocates push for early education as crime prevention tool," Muskegon Chronicle, Aug. 25, 2007
The NGA Center Selects Michigan to Host a Governor's Summit on Early Childhood
Michigan received a $10,000 grant from the National Governors Association to host a Governor's Summit on Early Childhood. Michigan's proposal was selected out of seventeen state proposals, meeting the expectations and criteria by defining clear goals, prioritizing key actions, and establishing short- and long-term indicators for hosting a successful Summit to promote a comprehensive school readiness agenda for at-risk children ages birth to five.
See attached press release. 
Moving Toward Quality Child Care
The Early Childhood Investment Corporation sponsored a panel discussion featuring local and national childcare experts on March 22 at the
Lansing Center focusing on development strategies for advancing quality child care. The program, titled "Moving Toward Quality Child Care,"
was the first in a series of events to bring awareness and cite best practices in providing a great start for Michigan's youngest citizens. (Complementary DVD's of the event are available by emailing a request to Theresa Cross at tcross@ecic4kids.org.
)
Click here to read more.
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