continued for the past 13 years and added the important nutrition and physical fitness components through the Michigan Fitness Foundation grants, serving 750 children annually. Evaluation of the success of children who participated in the SKIP program with parents indicates that the children scored higher on MEAP tests consistently each grade level through eighth grade (most recent grade level available). The quality of the parent and child interaction is an important component of children’s educational success. The pediatric workgroup of the Great Start Collaborative is developing a new model to provide school-based health services in conjunction with the area health systems in preparation for the Affordable Care Act’s changes in health delivery. Genesee County schools have only 10 school nurses serving 75,000 children in school. This ratio is dangerous in light of the nationally recommended ratio of one nurse per every 450 students. New technologies including telemedicine to assist in the management of asthma, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions are in the planning phase for health supports in schools. School practices are changing to support the primary medical and dental homes to coordinate comprehensive care. The Early Care and Education component of building the Great Start infrastructure has experienced the greatest growth due to tireless advocacy to increase funding for preschool education and improve quality. Parents of young children can now visit the state-wide Great Start to Quality website (www.greatstartforkids.org) and view the quality rating of their child care and preschool program as well as search for information on all licensed child care and preschools in their community. As the Michigan Department of Education sought to improve quality of the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), the Intermediate School Districts became the fiduciaries for the program in each county or region within Michigan. Genesee Intermediate School District worked with the local school districts to restructure the state funded preschool program, provide training and coaching to improve quality. In June, the Michigan legislature voted to increase the half-day slots available to serve low income children in the GSRP program from 1,800 slots the 2012-2013 school year to 3,100 slots for the 2013-2014 school year. This is an $11 42 on the town
million dollar investment of state funds in high quality preschool for Genesee County’s disadvantaged children. The funding will be maximized by blending the GSRP and Head Start program funds to provide additional full day options for children living in poverty and the opportunity for greater learning. The federally funded Head Start program has changed the grant award cycle from what have historically been indefinite periods, to new 5-year cycles. In April 2013, GISD and Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD) were notified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families that both agencies would now serve children and families with the comprehensive Head Start Program. Disadvantaged children, ages three to five years old, will receive a high quality preschool education, health support, and a parent engagement program. GISD will serve children residing in the Beecher, CarmanAinsworth and Flint school district service areas beginning in the fall. Dr. Hackett indicates “we are very excited about the opportunity to improve the program in the districts that we will serve by using a new parent engagement model and using student data to customize classroom activities to help students grow in all developmental areas.” The GCCARD Head Start program, operated by Genesee County, will also offer the Head Start program in the remaining school districts. The Early Head Start program serving pregnant women, infants and toddlers throughout Genesee County will also be provided by GCCARD and Carman-Ainsworth Schools. The growth of the early childhood system and expansion of services within the Genesee County region will result in higher quality programs for area families and create jobs. The economies of scale that have been demonstrated in many areas of GISD’s service delivery will be achieved in the area of early childhood care by centralizing administrative, purchasing, and training functions while providing services to families in the local communities. The children enrolled in these programs who receive high quality care and learning experiences, will be off to a great start as they enter school. However there are many others who will see an impact, also. Businesses will see improvements over time as the future workforce demonstrates higher skill levels and more stability to offer their employers. For more information about the early childhood system of programs and services in Genesee County, call 810-591-5437.