New information and research about the importance of the first five years of children's lives, and how Ottawa County is addressing these issues, are coming out regularly. Check back often to see the latest publications!

Members of Ottawa County's Great Start Collaborative and Parent Coalition have completed their new 3-year strategic plan in an effort to creating a single, interconnected and intertwined network, of public and private programs, services and supports, working together in a community to accomplish better results for young children and families. Click here to view the plan

Great Start- Ottawa Action Agenda (updated 9-10)
Great Start- Ottawa's Strategic Plan
Great Start- Ottawa's Action Agenda
Financing Plan
The Status of Young Children in Ottawa County

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and Assessments: According to this recent Child Trends brief,  all 50 states and the District of Columbia have developed Early Learning Guidelines (ELGs) for children aged 3 to 5 that define what they should know and be able to do when they enter kindergarten.   But most early childhood education providers are not required to use them—they are voluntary for non-publicly funded programs. How can states encourage more adoption?

New Pew Brief- The Case for Home Visiting: Strong Families with a Solid Foundation- The demands of raising an infant or toddler can prove challenging for even the best-prepared parent. Part of a larger strategy to support evidence-based policy within the states, the Pew Center on the States has launched public education and advocacy campaigns in four states.  Read more about this effort here!!!

Parenting Infants and Toddlers Today- Findings from a New ZERO TO THREE National Parent Survey: What has a more powerful influence on how parents raise their young children: the way they were raised or their faith? What roles do professionals and friends play in shaping parents’ views on childrearing? What impact is the economic downturn having on child care arrangements for young families? 

These questions and more are some of the issues addressed in a new national parent survey of 1,615 parents of children from birth to 3 years conducted for ZERO TO THREE by Peter Hart Research. The survey was designed to explore the issues and challenges that parents of young children confront today, gaps in knowledge about early development, sources of information and support to which parents turn, and factors that influence their approaches to parenting.

This link will take you to the study, executive summary, and recorded webinar.

"Early Lessons": The Perry Preschool Project is one of the most famous education experiments of the last 50 years. The surprising results are now challenging widely-held notions about what helps people succeed – in school, and in life.

Wilder Research study: "Cost Savings Analysis of School Readiness in MI": As Michigan’s elected officials reform the way Michigan spends its increasingly scarce tax dollars, they need quality research to prioritize spending. The Wilder Research study documents how putting money into programs for young children not only returns taxpayers’ initial investment, but pays additional dividends over time in reduced welfare, criminal justice, special and remedial education and other costs.

Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma Prevention: March 2010: A White Paper has been written by experts in the field on Best Practice and Research Based Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Efforts.

The Period of Purple Crying: The Period of PURPLE Crying® program is the name given to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome's evidence-based SBS prevention program, which includes a full color 11-page booklet and a 10-minute DVD intended to be given to parents of new infants. Video information regarding the approach and its materials can be found on YouTube.  Ottawa County will be offering this information to parents and child care providers through a unique partnership between the Great Start Regional Resource Center, SCAN, and the Great Start Collaborative.

James Heckman, a Nobel prizewinning economist at the University of Chicago  speaking about how investing in children when they're young can pay big dividends down the road.

"A Next Social Contract for the Primary Years of Education" envisions a transformation of our education system into one that serves children starting at age 3, erases the artificial divide between “preschool” and “K-12” programs and extends high-quality teaching up through the early grades of elementary school. Video: A 1:38 webcast on the Next Social Contract for the Primary Years of Education. The event featured remarks by Jacqueline Jones, senior adviser to the secretary for early learning at the U.S. Department of Education.