Michigan
Michigan
Definition of a Comprehensive
Early Childhood System
A single, interconnected and intertwined
network, of public and private services and
supports, working together in a community
to accomplish better results for young
children and families.
Vision
A Great Start for every child in
Michigan: safe, healthy and eager
to succeed in school and in life
Mission
The purpose of Great Start is to assure a
coordinated system of community resources
and supports to assist all Michigan families
in providing a great start for their children
from birth through age five.
Governing Values of Great Start
Accessible, User Friendly and Affordable
• Welcoming, easy to find and simple to use. Any fees for
publicly funded services are based on family income and
circumstance.
Family-Guided
• Parents, guardians, and others acting in the parenting role,
are actively engaged in leadership in system development,
implementation, guidance, and evaluation.
Sensitive and Responsive
• The strengths, needs, values and culture of each family
determine an individualized approach.
Governing Values of Great Start
Non-partisan
• All elected officials and policy-makers consider the impact
of policy and funding decisions on our young children.
High Quality, with Measurable Results
• Every public and private early childhood provider is
accountable for performance measures that reward results,
quality, and customer service and satisfaction.
Sound, Long Term Financial base
• All sectors contribute to consistently available, diverse and
stable financing for essential system components.
Governing Values of Great Start
Community-Based
• Each local community implements a local system
infrastructure of services, supports and resources to
achieve the Great Start Results.
Collaborative
• Shared leadership, responsibility, resources, and decision-
making, each partner acting to benefit the whole system
and its customers.
Publicly and Privately Supported
• Public and private funding sources work together to assure
the needs of each family are met.
Essential Components
of the Great Start System
Physical Health
Social/Emotional Health
Basic Needs, Economic Security & Child Safety
Early Care and Education
Parenting Education
Family Support
Infrastructure
Physical Health
Comprehensive physical and child
development services such as assessment
and intervention, for all young children,
including those with special health care
needs, as well as timely and appropriate
referrals for children with developmental,
behavioral and psychosocial concerns.
Social and Emotional Health
Specialized child developmental and mental
health services designed to promote the
social-emotional well-being of all young
children and address the needs of children
at-risk of developing mental health
problems or in need of mental health
intervention.
Basic Needs, Safety &
Economic Security
Services and supports that address the basic,
daily living needs of families as well as
child and family safety.
Early Care and Education
Early care and education services that
support children’s early learning, health and
social-emotional well-being.
Parenting Education
Supports for parents in the critical role they
play in their child’s overall development.
Family Support
Support for the healthy development of
children by addressing the stressors
impairing the ability of families to nurture
the overall development and well-being of
their children.
System Infrastructure
Formalized, collaborative governance
structure, quality assurance and continuous
improvement, communication and
information sharing, public and community
involvement, coordination of services and
financing.
Great Start System Results
• Infants, young children and families are physically healthy.
• Infants, young children and families are socially and
emotionally healthy.
• Families of young children have access to high quality early
care and education.
• Children are ready to succeed in school and in life.
• Families support and guide the early learning of their infants
and young children.
• The basic needs of infants and young children are met.
• Families of infants and young children are economically
stable.
• Infants and young children are safe.
• Communities make infants and young children a priority by
investing in families.
Blueprint for the
Great Start System
• Construct the Great Start system community-by-
community – building on local early childhood
systems that are already in development or
operating in many communities.
• Create a state-level entity to bring together the
investment of the public and private sectors in
support of the Great Start system – to focus
communication, support communities, & build
investment.
Great Start System
Infrastructure - State
The Early Childhood Investment Corporation
o Structure & Governance
o Information & Technical Assistance
Clearinghouse
o Focal Point & Convener
o Financing & Oversight for Great Start
Collaboratives
Great Start Collaboratives
Year #1
• Governance Structure • Communication
• Needs Assessment • Mentoring
• Strategic Plan • Accountability
• Action Agenda • Evaluation
• Public Awareness • Technical Assistance
• Infrastructure Design
Capacity Building
• Receive intensive technical assistance,
consultation & mentoring
• Within 3 years obtain designation as Great
Start Collaborative
Eligible Applicants
• ISDs on behalf of community partners
• Urban can split a county, focus on area of
greatest early childhood need
• Multi-county can choose to convene in only
one county, if that is appropriate
• Only one Planning Grant per county – with
option to renew based on performance
Funding Range
• Budget for $150,000
• Negotiate higher based on funds available
and need
• Capacity Building will have base award of
$50,000
• Negotiate higher based on funds available
and need
Grant Renewal
• Grantees may be eligible for renewal based
on performance
• Substantiated progress toward outcomes &
reasonable need for additional time to
achieve outcomes
• Year #2 funds dependent on substantial
fulfillment of Year #1 Performance
Measures
Closing Date
• December 9, 2005 at 5:00 pm
• Faxed receipt for application by close of
business on December 13, 2005
Application Preparation
• 12 point font
• 1” margins
• 1 original & 5 copies = Six total
• No binders, binding, colored paper, etc.
Review Process
• Panel of trained & objective reviewers
• Application of Rubrics
1. Overall Merit & Quality
2. Population Need
3. Geographic Balance
• Interviews with finalists in early January
2006
Documentation of Readiness
• Solicited input via Community
Conversation
• 31 Counties as well as state associations
• Children’s Action Network & Policy and
Program Committee of ECIC
• Continuum of Readiness
Documentation of Readiness
• Designed to draw from already existing
documentation, as much as possible
• Demonstrates prior success, a track record,
with similar work
• Documents from previous two – three years
Analysis of Local Need &
Population Indicators
• Understanding of impact of community
conditions on children, families, schools &
communities
• Impact of community conditions on
Kindergarten readiness of ALL children
Local Capabilities & Goals
• Present current efforts already underway in
community that Great Start Collaborative can
build from
• Make the case for your potential success
• Detailed plan of work – demonstrate
understanding of major Tasks for each Activity
• Budget that aligns with and supports plan of work
Coordination of Local Efforts
• Selection of local Coordinator is a key
consideration
• Evidence that Minimum Qualifications (Appendix
I) were used/will be used to select
• Support development of shared leadership,
ownership & capacity of the collaborative
• Oversee and ensure the completion of the day-to-
day task of the GSC
Membership of Great Start
Collaborative
• Parents, 20%, parenting children 12 years
and younger, represent diversity of
community
• Adequate supports and resources to ensure
participation
• Other required members with documented
sufficient authority to commit funds, staff &
resources
Great Start Collaborative
• Effective structure to implement the plan of
work
• Relationship to designated Community
Collaborative, early childhood workgroups
or decision-making bodies
Letters of Commitment
• Joint letter signed by each Director/CEO
member of the Great Start Collaborative
• Commitment to establish & maintain GSC
• Participation in development of application
• Agreement with application & commitment
to implement as submitted
• Designation of alternative representative to
conduct business in member absence
Appendix I
• Application Checklist
*This needs to be the very first page of the
application.
• Checklist will be completed when received
• Faxed back to applicant as a receipt
Appendix I
• Minimum Qualifications of Great Start
Collaborative Coordinator
• Format for Membership List of GSC
• Cover Page – Accurate contact information
is crucial – place this page directly after the
Application Checklist.
Appendix II
Local Match & Budget Forms
• Local Match
• Budget Summary
• Budget Detail/Budget Narrative
• Authorized Signatures
Appendix III
Assurances & Certifications
• ISD Superintendent must sign.
Selection Criteria
1. Overall merit & quality of application,
based on application rubrics
2. Need (Rate of Poverty)
3. Geographic Balance
Selection Process
• Objective review by trained reviewers
• Application of Rubrics
• Recommendation of finalists for interview
• Interview of finalists
• Recommendation of designations for
finalists
• Action on recommendations by ECIC
Executive Committee
Selection Timeline
• December 9, 2005, Grant applications due.
• December 12 &13, 2005, Grant applications screened for
completeness and provided to reviewers.
• December 19, 2005, Review Panel I scores and ranks grant
applications.
• Early January 2006, Review Panel II interviews finalists
and prepares final recommendations.
• January 11, 2006, ECIC Executive Committee acts on
recommendations from Review Panel II.
• January 18, 2006, Public announcement of grant awards.
Contact Information
• Joan Blough, 269.345.5968,
bloughj@michigan.gov
• Join the www.greatstartforkids.org listserv,
all follow-up information will be placed on
this website, it is the official Great Start
website