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Help Me Grow - Allegan

Help Me Grow Allegan is an initiative of the Great Start Collaborative. This "no wrong door" approach connects families, who are expecting or who have children birth- age five, to local resources and service providers so children are developmentally on track and healthy through school entry.

Partners share our Help Me Grow website and phone number with families, so they are connected to local:

resources (job, housing, utility, food, and childcare assistance)
service providers (Positive Options, Early On, MIHP, WIC, health and counseling providers)
local child care, preschool and kindergarten options (including low and no-cost)
local playgroups, story times, literacy and family events
pregnancy and early childhood development
Ages and Stages Questionnaires to determine if children are on track for school (available in English and Spanish)
Families Connected group

Does your agency, organization or foundation support families, with children prenatal through age 8? Are you interested in collaborating with Help Me Grow-Allegan and/or the Great Start Collaborative to increase support and access to early childhood support for families? We would love to hear from you! Please contact our Great Start Collaborative Coordinator, Becky Huberty, rebecca.huberty2@alleganaesa.org or 269-512-7738

Allegan County Great Start Collaborative

Michigan's Office of Great Start (under Michigan's Department of Education) established Great Start Collaboratives for every county to build stronger early childhood systems with 4 early childhood outcomes.

Children are born healthy
Children are healthy, thriving and developmentally on track from birth to third grade
Children are developmentally ready to succeed in school at time of school entry
Children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade

In order to accomplish these 4 outcomes, Allegan County's Great Start Collaborative creates and sustains strong partnerships with community organizations, agencies and families to help guide this work. For more information about statewide Great Start Collaboratives and Parent Coalitions, please visit our MI Kids Matter website.

Our Purpose: To align programs, so parents have knowledge and access to resources and services they need, resulting in their children being ready for kindergarten and eager to learn.

Our Mission: To ensure a coordinated system of community supports so that all Allegan County children have a great start from prenatal to age five.

Our Vision: A great start for every child in Allegan County: Safe, healthy and eager to succeed.