ABOUT | HelpMeGrowAllegan

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, Becky Huberty, rebecca.huberty2@alleganaesa.org 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!

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, Becky Huberty, rebecca.huberty2@alleganaesa.org 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

Kid's Food Basket
Michigan State Police Department
The Linking Center
Little Vikings Preschool
Local Libraries
Love, INC
Mary Whiteford – State Representative
Mediation Services
Michigan State University Extension
Muskegon Ottawa Kent Allegan (MOKA)
Perrigo Company
Positive Options of Allegan
Renewed Hope
Resilience
Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center
Southwest Regional Resource 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
Bridges of Hope
Child Care Resource Center of Southwest Michigan
Community Action of Allegan County
Gryphon Place 211
Intercare WIC

The Great Start Collaborative Executive Committee

Community Action Allegan

Community Mental Health

Allegan Area ESA

Allegan General Hospital