Early Learners and Care

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About The Office of Great Start

The Office of Great Start has been charged with ensuring that all children birth to age eight, especially those in highest need, have access to high-quality early learning and development programs and enter kindergarten prepared for success. Then-Governor Rick Snyder outlined a single set of early childhood outcomes against which all public investments will be assessed:

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

In 2013, the Office of Great Start engaged stakeholders across the state in development of Great Start, Great Investment, Great Future: The Plan for Early Learning and Development in Michigan. This comprehensive plan contains six recommendations and numerous priority action items for advancing early learning and development.

Great Start, Great Investment, Great Future: The Plan for Early Learning and Development in Michigan

Great Start, Great Investment, Great Future Report (PDF)
Great Start, Great Investment, Great Future Appendices (PDF)
Early Childhood Program Inventory 2013 (PDF)
Early Childhood Program Inventory 2015 (PDF)

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Report: Building a Better Child Care System

In late 2015 and early 2016, the Office of Great Start partnered with Public Sector Consultants to gather input on the state of child care in Michigan. The final report Building a Better Child Care System: What Michigan Can Do to Help More Parents and Children Access Quality Care, is now available and contains results and recommendations for improving access to quality child care.

Report: Changes in Michigan's Child Care Landscape

Across Michigan, families rely on child care providers to offer high-quality early learning and care for their children while they work and go to school. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) commissioned Public Sector Consultants (PSC) to conduct a study to better understand how the child care market has changed over time – and whether a decline in licensed providers was related to a decline in the number of children in a community.

Changes in Michigan's Child Care Landscape (full report)

Child Care Provider Analysis by County

Core Knowledge and Core Competencies for Early Care and Education
Michigan’s newly revised Core Knowledge and Core Competencies (CKCC) define what adults who work with young children need to know, understand, and be able to do in order to ensure that children have the best possible environments, experiences, and relationships in which to grow and learn. The State Board of Education approved the Michigan Core Knowledge and Core Competencies for the Early Care and Education Workforce at their November 2014 meeting. The related documents are below:

Revised Standards
The State Board of Education (SBE) approved revisions to the following standards documents on March 12, 2013. The Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant and Toddler Programs (ECSQ-IT), Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten(ECSQ-PK), and the Michigan Out-of-School Time (MOST) Standards of Quality listed here are the most up-to-date versions available. The SBE also adopted the Statement and Guidance on Developing a Policy for Prevention of Suspension and/or Expulsion of Children Birth through Age 8 in Early Education and Care Programs.

Parent Resources for the Early Years
Great Start Readiness Program Website
If you are a parent interested in learning more, see the Great Start Readiness Program brochure or use this map to find a program in your area.

Great Start to Quality helps parents find the best child care and preschool settings for their children and helps providers and educators improve the care they give to children.

Transition to Kindergarten Parent Guides address many of the questions that parents have as they look forward to their child's Kindergarten years.

Resources

OGS Community Learning Webinars

The Office of Great Start offered six learning community webinars. Each webinar was focused on a topic of interest to providers and other stakeholders in the early childhood community. Use the links below to view the presentation resources.

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