Mission
St. Clair County will have a coordinated system of community resources and supports to assist all our families in providing a great start for children from birth through age eight.
Vision
Every child in St. Clair County will have a great start in life. They will be safe, healthy, and eager to succeed in school and in life.
Early Childhood Outcomes (Outlined by the Governor)
- Children born healthy;
- Children healthy, thriving, and developmentally on track from birth to third grade
- Children developmentally ready to succeed in school at the time of school entry
- Children prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade
Workgroup Goals
- Early childhood services/programs are reaching and engaging all families in need of support/early childhood programming and information.
- Improve maternal and child health outcomes through an active collaboration with WIC, the GSC, and GSPC.
- Increase access to high-quality early care and education services and supports.
- Children in St. Clair County have access to early literacy services that are high-quality.
Identified Gap: The childcare crisis continues to be a priority in St. Clair County and across the state. New partnerships were created in 2022 leading to increased grant awards and new projects heading into 2023.
2022 Collaborative Accomplishments
- There were 871 referrals made to the HUB between 10/1/21 and 9/30/22. Pregnant women made up 47% of the referrals.
- Partnership with McLaren Port Huron continues with social worker providing early childhood literacy bags that includes information about programs in St. Clair County to all new moms.
- New Talking is Teaching literacy spaces in restaurants and laundromats. This project will bring literacy to families in the spaces they visit.
- A new Regional Literacy Support Hub partnership enabled the GSC to distribute more than 1,700 books to families that have limited access to literacy resources.
- Help Me Grow launched Ages & Stages Questionnaire, a free developmental screener available to all families in St. Clair County.
- St. Clair County RESA along with the EDA partnered to write and receive the Michigan Tri-Share Child Care grant. Tri-Share builds a partnership between businesses, child care facilities, and families splitting the cost of child care three ways.
- A new Child Care Tuition Assistance grant was awarded by the United Way to support families returning to work and the cost of child care.
- The GSC, St. Clair County Library, St. Clair County Rec, Megan Simmons – State Farm, and the Community Foundation partnered together to put a StoryWalk in at Fort Gratiot County Park.
Chair: Julie Pemberton, Blue Water Community Action
Support Staff: Riley Alley, St. Clair County RESA
2023 Meeting Calendar