ABOUT US
Help Me Grow - Allegan
Help Me Grow works to connect families who are expecting or who have children through age five to local resources to help children stay on developmentally on track and healthy through school entry.
If you would like to join our work either as an organization or as a family member, please contact the Great Start Collaborative Coordinator, Daryl Waggoner: or 269-512-7738.
Some of the ways Help Me Grow can support your family:
-
Sharing information on local child care, preschool and kindergarten options (including low and no-cost!)
-
Linking families to local playgroups, story times and other events to increase time spent as a family
-
Answering questions about pregnancy and child development as well as sharing access to the Ages and Stages Questionnaire — a free developmental checklist that is a quick and easy check-in to see if your child is on track (available in English and Spanish)
-
Providing access to a wide variety of local resources through a
one-stop website/phone number; saving families time and energy!
Contact us for more information or to get involved!
Join the Movement!
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, Daryl Waggoner: or 269-512-7738
Allegan Great Start Collaborative
The Michigan Office of Great Start established the Great Start Collaboratives in each county in order to build a stronger early childhood system. Michigan has four 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 do this, the Allegan Great Start Collaborative has created a partnership between community organizations and families to help guide our work.
Our Purpose: To align programs so that parents will have knowledge of and access to the services they need resulting in their children beginning kindergarten ready and eager to learn.
Our Mission: To assure a coordinated system of community resources and support to help all Allegan County families provide a great start for their children from prenatal to age five.
Our Vision: A great start for every child in Allegan County: Safe, healthy and eager to succeed
We can’t do this work without our dedicated partnerships and partners
-
Center for Women in Transition
-
Child Care Resource Center of Southwest Michigan
-
Community Action of Allegan County
-
Gryphon Place 211
-
Mary Whiteford – State Representative
-
Mediation Services
-
Michigan State University Extension
-
Muskegon Ottawa Kent Allegan (MOKA)
-
Perrigo Company
-
Renewed Hope
-
Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center
-
Sylvia’s Place
-
Women Infants & Children (WIC)
-
20 Hands
-
Allegan Area Educational Services Agency
-
Allegan Community Foundation
-
Allegan County Community Mental Health
-
Allegan County Courts
-
Allegan County Health Department
-
Allegan County United Way
-
Allegan Department of Health and Human Services
-
Allegan Medical Clinic Pediatric Unit
-
Allegan, Fennville, Hopkins, Martin, Plainwell & Wayland School Districts
-
Allegan/Ottawa/Barry Migrant Resource Council
-
Arbor Circle
If you would like to join our work either as an organization or as a family member, please contact the Great Start Collaborative Coordinator, Daryl Waggoner: dwaggoner@alleganaesa.org or 269-512-7738.
The Great Start Collaborative Executive Committee
