During the first five years of life a child's brain is being built by their earliest experiences, the environment around them and their relationships with others.  Many factors can have a profound and lasting effect on a child's development and their prospects for the future.  Economic hardship, child abuse and neglect, lack of resources, lack of sufficient information, lack of knowledge about child development and parenting skills are just some of the challenges that families face when raising young children.

These challenges can contribute to cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional problems in young children that decrease their chances of being successful when they enter school and can follow them throughout life.  Great Start is focused on addressing these issues through the work of its Family Support committee.

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The Great Start Collaborative of Jackson County recognizes that parenting young children can be a challenging job at times.  Parents need access to resources and supports that help them be their child's best first teacher.  Great Start is committed to ensuring parents have the tools and resources they need to provide for their child's basic needs and give them the best start in life possible.

Highlights of progress to date include:

• Development of a county-wide parent education network to increase access to services and decrease duplication.  To learn more about Great Start's Parent Educator's Group click here.
• Establishment of an online parent education training calendar to promote available parent education opportunities to families.  Visit the Upcoming Events page to view available opportunities.
• Completion of an annual resource scan in partnership with Central Michigan 2-1-1 to identify existing resources and supports available to families of young children and to develop a plan for eliminating identified gaps to better serve families.
• Promotion of Central Michigan 2-1-1 as the main point of contact for families seeking services and supports.

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Looking for help?  Central Michigan 2-1-1 can get you connected!