Midland County Great Start Collaborative Launches Early Childhood Survey
The Midland County Great Start Collaborative is launching their Parent & Guardian Early Childhood Survey, which is open now through May 26, to get feedback from parents and guardians about the current strengths and challenges of raising children in Midland County. The information will help them inform their current strategic planning efforts for their next five-year plan.
ABOUT THE SURVEY:
We need to hear the voices of Midland County parents and guardians with children 0-8 years old! Please take the 16-question survey to help us set goals to support young children and their families for our five-year strategic plan. It should take about 10 minutes. If you take the survey on your phone you may have to scroll across to see all answer options.
This survey can be completed anonymously. If you would like to be entered to win a prize of children’s books/literacy materials, please enter your email address at the end of the survey. GSC staff will ONLY use your email address to enter you in the drawing and to contact you if you win. We will not use your email address when looking at survey responses or share it with others.
ABOUT MIDLAND COUNTY GREAT START COLLABORATIVE:
The Midland County Great Start Collaborative operates within the Midland County ESA under a state grant that entrusts them with developing and strengthening the local early childhood system. The Great Start Collaborative is comprised of parent representatives and members from non-profits, agencies, and organizations that serve young children in the community. “Parent representation and voice is central to the work we do in the county. That includes supporting children and their families from the prenatal period through third grade,” says Bethany Shoun, Midland County Great Start Collaborative Director.
The Midland County Great Start Collaborative prioritizes strategies that helps meet the following early childhood outcomes:
Children are born healthy;
Children are healthy, thriving, and developmentally on track from birth to third grade;
Children are developmentally ready to succeed in school at the time of school entry; and
Children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade.
Shoun continued, “We do this as a collaborative by sharing information about services and events available in the community, providing education for parents and early childhood educators/caregivers, and engaging parents in community-building efforts through our Family Coalition. Some of the Family Coalition’s most recent efforts include the assembly of ‘baby bags’ for the hospital to give to parents of new babies.” These bags include information about who to contact for commonly needed services and support groups, as well as initiatives that support Midland County’s Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing campaign.
Anyone in the community who has young children or works with them in any capacity is welcome to join the Great Start Collaborative. Parents and guardians are invited to reach out to learn more about participating in our Family Coalition.
You can learn more about Great Start Collaboratives and Great Start Family Coalitions here:
If you have questions or are interested in being involved in the Great Start Collaborative as a parent representative or professionally, please contact Bethany Shoun, Midland County Great Start Collaborative Director at bshoun@midlandesa.org or 989-492-7702 extension 1173
Do you have a Midland County story you would like to tell that aligns with our vision?