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Great Start Collaborative-Oakland
The
purpose of the GSC-O is to assure a coordinated system of community resources
and support whereby ALL Oakland County families have knowledge of and access to
the services they need which will result in their children being prepared and
eager to learn.
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It's Their Future; It's Our Responsibility!
Thank you for your continued interest and support in building our Great Start System in Oakland County.
Great Start Collaborative-Oakland would like to recognize the Oakland County Child Care Council (4C) staff and board members as our July and August Children's Champion. Thank you for partnering with the GSC-O and representing the voice of quality childcare on subcommittees and workgroups. You truly are a model for community collaboration!!
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Upcoming Great Start Meetings
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Click here to view the GSC-O Calendar Online.
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Date
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Event/Meeting
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Location
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Tuesday, July 7 |
Early Care and Education Subcommittee Meeting |
Oakland
Schools, Waterford |
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Thursday, July 9
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Basic Needs Subcommittee Meeting
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Oakland County Child Care Council, Bloomfield Hills
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| Monday, July 13
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Strategic Leadership |
Oakland Schools, Waterford |
Thursday, July 23
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Parenting
Education & Family Support Subcommittee Meeting |
Carehouse,
Pontiac |
Monday, August 3
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Community Engagement Workgroup Meeting
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Oakland Schools, Waterford
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Tuesday, August 4
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Early Care and Education Subcommittee Meeting
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Oakland Schools, Waterford
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Wednesday, August 5
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Social & Emotional Health Subcommittee Meeting |
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Thursday, August 13
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Basic Needs Subcommittee Meeting
| Oakland County Child Care Council, Bloomfield Hills
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If
you are interested in participating in one of the above events/meetings, please
contact Darlene Zimny at darlene.zimny@oakland.k12.mi.us
or 248.209.2588.
Looking
for ways to get involved in the Great Start Collaborative-Oakland? Click here to sign up for one of the three new workgroups or one of the five
existing subcommittees.
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| Talking Points |
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Ages birth to five are the critical years of a child's development. Quality care and education at the earliest ages is the first, best and most cost-effective way to ensure that at-risk children thrive and grow into productive adults. The Great Start Collaborative-Oakland is committed to getting the message out that early childhood education works!! Below is the second of our 2 part series on some key messages on the smartest investment in Michigan.
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- Science shows when we start very early, our children have a better chance to grow, flourish and become more productive adults.
- Proof Point 1 (catch up game): The foundation for future learning is largely formed in the first five years of life. A strong foundation increases the probability of positive outcomes; a weak foundation increases the odds of later difficulties. Quality care, education and parental support result in increased vocabulary, numeric skills and higher IQ's. Equally important to later learning are the development of skills such as an understanding of right from wrong, attentiveness, persistence and personal problem solving.
- Proof Point 2 (now we know): Scientists have learned that when we provide high-quality care to at-risk infants-and support services to their parents-we will affect children's outcomes. The earlier we start, the more likely children will be prepared for school and will develop the critical combination of cognitive and social-emotional skills.
- Proof Point 3 (positive payoff): As a society, we can either pay now for quality early learning or we can pay far more later in expensive and laregely ineffective "catch-up" programs.
- Proof Point 4: The first signs of our nation's achievement gap shows up as early as 18 months of age.
(For more information visit The First Five Years Fund at http://www.ffyf.org/)
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Recent Research and Resources
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What we know about early care and education; a summary of major research findings.
- Language and Literacy in Early Childhood: Hart and Risley's 1995 study found that how parents and caregivers speak to kids significanlty affects I.Q., literacy and academic success later in life. The study found that the number of words, encouragements and breadth of vocabulary heard by a child during their first three years of life can dramatically affect that child's language development and even I.Q. From observations of 42 one- and two-year olds and their famileis, the researcher estimated that children in professional families hear approximately 11 million words/year, children in working class families hear approximately 6 million words; and children in families receiving public assistance hear approximately 3 million words annually. For more information study click here.
- The Science of Early Childhood Development: From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development study of scientific brain research shows that young children who lack at least one loving and consistent caregiver in the earliest years may suffer severe and long-lasting development problems. This study also shows that environmental stress, even among infants and toddlers can interfere with social and emotional development. The report recommends that early childhood progmrs balance their focus on literacy and numerical skills with comparable attention to the emotional and social development of children. To read more about brain development click here.
- Enriching Children, Enriches the Nation: In 2007, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) released a study titled
"Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation." According to this study,
providing voluntary, high-quality, publicly funded pre-kindergarten
education for the poorest twenty-five percent of three- and
four-year-old children would have an enormous impact on everything from
the annual budget to crime prevention. EPI estimates that these annual
benefits would surpass the costs of the program within a six-year
timeframe. According to the EPI, by 2050, the overall benefits of such
a program would total $315 billion. The breakdown for this total
includes $83 billion in budgetary benefits for the government; $156
billion for increased employment compensation; and $77 billion
resulting from savings associated with the reduction of crime and child
abuse. These annual benefits - as projected for the year 2050 - would
exceed the costs of the program by a ratio of 12.1 to 1. To read more about EPI's study of Pre-K programs click here.
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| Upcoming Learning Opportunities |
- Oakland Schools will be sponsoring a training on "Diversity and the Young Child" on August 18 and 19, 2009 held at the Oakland County Child Care Council office. This training will focus on relevant practices that support diverse cultures and learners in programs for children birth to five years of age. Participants will learn about theories and strategies to help children, families and teachers understand and work towards a supportive and positive climate for all culture and learning styles. Visit the Oakland Schools website for more information.
- The State Court Administrative Office-Child Welfare Services Division presents IDEA: Special Education Issues to be held on Monday, August 31, 2009 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing. This conference will address the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which provides specific educational rights to disabled children and their families. For more information visit www.childcrt.org
- The Annual MDAEYC Fall Conference will be held Saturday, September 12, 2009 at the Baker College, Auburn Hills Campus. Registration information coming soon. For more information visit www.metrodetroitaeyc.org.
- The 5th Annual MiAEYC Infant/Toddler Conference will be held Thursday, September 17th, 2009 at the Doubletree Hotel in Dearborn. A preliminary program and registration information will be posted in Mid-July. For more information visit www.miaeyc.org.
- The 19th Annual Community Caring for Healthy Sharing Regional Early Childhood Conference will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 8:00-4:15 in Howell Michigan. For more information visit www.childcare4c.com.
- The 17th Annual Parenting Awareness Michigan (PAM) Conference and 2010 PAM Kickoff will be held on Monday, November 9, 2009 in Lansing. For more information visit www.preventionnetwork.org
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Find Us On Facebook
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Find us on Facebook to get the latest advocacy updates and learn more about the Great Start Collaborative-Oakland.
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Lisa Sturges
Great Start Collaborative-Oakland
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