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.
March/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!

Please join us for Star Power on May 19, 2010 in Lansing!!

What is Star Power?
Star Power is a day for Michigan's early childhood community - parents, doctors, childcare providers, educators, business leaders-and many of our youngest
learners to gather to celebrate the importance of early childhood investment.

Why is Star Power so Important?
Michigan's budget is getting smaller every year and that means more programs are being cut. Last year, the Michigan legislature proposed to eliminate a large portion of early childhood programs in Michigan. Star Power is our opportunity to showcase strength in the early childhood advocacy community.

What Can I Expect?
A parade around the capitol and up to the capitol steps, meetings with legislators to talk about early childhood, lots of family-friendly activities!

Interested in Joining Us?
Visit www.greatstartforkids.org/star-power to register.
For FREE bus transportation from Oakland County to Lansing, email darlene.zimny@oakland.k12.mi.us.

 
Upcoming Great Start Meetings
Click here to view the GSC-O Calendar online.

Date

Meeting

Location
Thursday,  March 25 Parenting Leadership Subcommittee Meeting Carehouse, Pontiac
Thursday, April 1 (rescheduled)
Child Care and Early Education
Oakland Schools, Waterford
Monday, April 12
Community Engagement
 Oakland Schools, Waterford
Wednesday, April 21
 Parent Coalition Meeting Oakland Family Services, 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.
Talking Points
March is Parenting Awareness Month!!!  Great Start Collaborative-Oakland supports the Strengthening Families Model which strengthens parents ability to support their child's development and early learning experiences. Five key areas include:

  • Parental Resilience
    • This means that families are strong and flexible
    • Building parental resilience helps families to:
      • Maintain a positive attitude
      • Solve problems creatively
      • Rise to challenges in their lives effectively
    • Parents can build strength and flexibility by:
      • Finding their inner strength-faith, humor, flexibility
      • Surrounding themselves with supportive friends and family
      • Asking for help when needed
      • Planning ahead-what are possible roadblocks
      • Practicing relaxation and stress management
  • Social Connections
    • This means that families build friendships with others
    • Building friendships with others can be an:
      • Important source of relief in times of parenting stress
      • Important source of advice and information on parenting issues
      • Important source for back up support
    • Parents can build friendships with others by:
      • Talking with extended family, co-workers or neighbors
      • Connecting with other families in informal settings (parks, libraries, neighborhood activities)
      • Joining with other families in formal settings (playgroups, parent education classes)
  • Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
    • This means that families learn ways to be an effective parent
    • Being an effective parent is part natural and part learned
    • Parents who understand child development are able to:
      • Have realistic expectations on what children can and can't do at certain ages
      • Keep children safe (child-proofing, quality child care)
      • Address developmental changes (crying, sleeping, toilet training)
    • Parents can build knowledge of parenting and child development by:
      • Talking to other parents, pediatricians and early childhood professionals
      • Being aware of developmental milestones
      • Attending a parenting workshop or class
      • Reading a parenting book or magazine
      • Exploring a parenting website
  • Concrete Support in Times of Need
    • This means that all families need help at times
    • Getting help when needed means that families are able to:
      • Access and connect to resources
      • Select providers which meet their needs
      • Know who to ask for assistance
    • Parents can connect to resources in the community through:
      • United Way-211
      • Parent Resource Guide
      • Websites
      • Informal and formal supports
  • Social and Emotional Competence of Children
    • This means that families learn ways to build nurturing relationships with their children
    • Just as children's brains and bodies develop, so do their emotions and their ability to express themselves
    • When parents support their child's social and emotional development, children can:
      • Communicate
      • Cope when they feel angry, happy or sad
      • Calm down
      • Solve problems
    • Parents can build nurturing relationships with their children by:
      • Acknowledging and noticing their child
      • Celebrating accomplishments
      • Responding sensitively to their child's needs
      • Using "feeling" words
      • Promoting friendship skills (joining in, sharing, taking turns)
      • Providing opportunities to play with other children

Further Information
Save the Date:
Parenting Conference and Resource Fair 2010 to be held on Saturday, May 1 from 9:00-2:00 at the Community Education Resource Center (CERC) in Lake Orion. For registration information click here.  For more information contact (248) 209-2229.   

Tools for strengthening your family:
Websites for strengthening your family:
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.

  • MiAEYC Annual Early Childhood Conference-March 25-27, 2010-Grand Rapids.
  • Join MDAEYC on Saturday, March 27th for the BUS ride.  More information and a registration form can be found on their website.
  • Making Inclusion Work with Transdisciplinary Teaming-Saturday, April 17th, 2010-UM Dearborn.
  • The Troy Chamber of Commerce presents the 5th Annual Nonprofit Management Conference-Thursday, April 22, 2010 from 8:00am to 4:00 pm at Walsh College in Troy.  For more information visit their website.
  • Michigan's Great Start Child Care Resource Center at CMU in conjunction with CMU's Child Development and Learning Lab and the Mt. Pleasant Association for the Education of Young Children is pleased to announce the one day Loving Guidance: Conscious Discipline Conference on Thursday, April 29th.  For more information see attached document.
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Lisa Sturges
Great Start Collaborative-Oakland
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