Great Start Collaborative-Oakland 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.
February/2010
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 Oakland Family Services as our Spring 2010 Children's Champion.  Oakland Family Services is an Early On partner in Service Coordination and Service Delivery System.  They are also the new North Oakland County Early Learning Community Hub.  They offer many services for families with young children including the Father's Resource Center, the Dynamic Dad's program, Lekotek, Fussy Baby and the Children's Learning Center.  They have partnered with GSC-O to be the host site for Parent Coalition meetings and were the host site for our August Press Conference.  Thank you for the work you do towards making Oakland County a great place for young families to live!
Upcoming Great Start Meetings
Click here to view the GSC-O Calendar online.

Date

Meeting

Location
Thursday, February 18
 Smart Start Conference-Online
 Oakland Schools, Waterford
Wednesday, March 3
 Social Emotional Subcommittee Meeting
 Easter Seals, Auburn Hills
Thursday, March 18
Parent Coalition Meeting
 Oakland Family Services, Pontiac
Thursday,  March 25 Parenting Leadership Subcommittee Meeting Carehouse, Pontiac
 
If you are interested in participating in one of the above events/meetings, please contact Darlene.Zimny@oakland.k12.mi.us or 248.209.2588.

Congratulations to Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency (OLHSA)!  They have received an Early Head Start grant.  The award amount is $1 million dollars.  The funds were made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA/stimulus funds).  Early Head Start Services will serve 127 infants, toddlers and pregnant women.  Partnering with OLHSA are Health Start/Healthy Families with 97 home based children, Lake Orion with 12 center based children, and Oxford with 8 center based and 12 home based children.  Services will start up March 1, 2010.  Early Head Start has been a missing and much needed service in Oakland County for some time.  Congratulations OLHSA!!
Talking Points
On February 1, 2010 the President released his budget request for fiscal year 2011.  In a very tough budget climate, early childhood education was seen as a priority for additional investments!!  The proposal helps improve access and affordability for low-income working and middle class families and quality improvements across a range of settings. 

Highlights* of the President's budget request include:
  • Child Care and Development Block Grant:
    • The President asks for a total increase of $1.6 billion
    • This grant:
      • Provides assistance to low income families to access quality child care
      • Supports programs through licensing and monitoring, training and professional development, resource and referral and other quality efforts   
  • Head Start/Early Head Start:
    • The President asks for an increase of $989 million
    • About these programs:
      • Early Head Start promotes healthy prenatal outcomes, enhances the development of infants and toddlers, and promotes healthy family functioning
      • Head Start promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development through the provision of educational, health, nutrition, social and other services 
  • Early Learning Challenge Fund:
    • The President proposed this new competitive grant under the FY2010 budget
    • When passed, the Early Learning Challenge Fund would:
      • Provide nearly $9 billion over 10 years
      • Provide resources to states to create birth to K cross sector systems with a focus on quality
      • Goal is to increase number of low-income children in high quality programs  
  • Title I:
    • The President's request freezes Title I funds
    • Title I provides financial assistance to schools with high numbers/high percentages of poor children to help ensure that all children are able to meet challenging state academic standards
  • Literacy:
    • Consolidatesmany programs into a comprehensive birth through high school literacy grant program
    • The President proposes $250 million total of which 15% is for birth through kindergarten
  • Race to the Top:
    • Authorizes Race to the Top and increases by $1.35 billion
  • Investing in Innovation:
    • Authorizes fund and increases by $500 million
  • Special Education
    • Part B (school age) increase by $250 million
    • Part C (birth to age three) frozen
    • Section 619 (preschool) frozen 
  • Child Nutrition
    • The President proposes a $1 billion increase
    • Program provides reimbursements to child care agencies, schools and other settings for meals and snacks
In addition, the Presidents proposed budget nearly doubles the Child & Dependent Care Tax Credit, that helps middle class families offset the cost of child care.

*Increases and freezes reflect FY 2010 without ARRA/Stimulus funds

Further Information
Remember, the President's budget is only a proposal and the beginning of a process.  Congress can adopt or change it.

While the President's budget shows a strong support and priority for early childhood programming investments, there are some key messages to advocate for:
  • Urge your Senators (Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin) to move quickly on the passage of the Early Learning Challenge Fund-this has a deadline of mid April
  • Ask your senators and representative to adopt the Presidents budget request for an increase in the Child Care Development Block Grant and Head Start/Early Head Start.
  • Ask your senators and representative to adopt the President's expansion of the dependent care tax credit and to improve it by making the credit indexed to inflation and refundable
  • Ask your senators and representative to prevent gaps and sustain success for all children by increasing funds for Part C (infants/toddlers) and Second 619 (preschoolers) special education
  • Ask your senators and representative to increase Title I funding so that school districts have the flexibility to expand the use of these funds for younger children in high quality settings and schools, for joint professional development and comprehensive services
  • Ask your senators and representative to adopt the President's budget request for an increase in Child Nutrition so that child care, school and afterschool providers and schools can have access to nutritious meals and snacks.
For more information from NAEYC on the President's budget click here.

For more information from Michigan's Children on Race to the Top click here.
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Please review these announcements carefully to determine which ones best meet your needs.  Programs, resources and services that follow are neither specifically recommended nor endorsed by Great Start Collaborative-Oakland.
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Lisa Sturges
Great Start Collaborative-Oakland
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