GSC, Birth to Five Workgroups

GSC Birth to Five usually meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church 1:30-3:30pm.  At each meeting there are committee reports from work groups including: Early Childhood Literacy Coalition, Public Awareness, Operations Committee, Infant Mortality Initiative, Safe Sleep Coalition, Quality Initiatives, Kindergarten Transition Committee, KEEP Task Force, Parent Education and Parent Coalition. Child care is available on-site through the Family Growth Center with advance reservations (517)371-1347. There is also time set aside for updates from all participants and discussion of other issues of interest. 

GSC, Birth to Five has several workgroups organized to work on the goals for the Great Start Collaborative. Listed below are summaries of each workgroup. For more information on any of these workgroups click on the title of the workgroup. For specific meeting information see the Birth to Five meeting Calendar.

Capital Area Safe Sleep Coalition

The Capital Area Infant Safe Sleep Coalition is a workgroup of Birth to Five and comprises participants from the Ingham County Health Department, Sparrow Hospital, Ingham Regional Medical Center, Child Abuse Prevention Services, Lansing Community College, Department of Human Services, Community Mental Health, Expectant Parents Organization, Tomorrow’s Child/Michigan SIDS and others. It is a community coalition working to promote Keeping Infants Sleeping Safely (KISS).  Meetings are usually held quarterly on the fourth Monday in August, November, February and May.  The meetings are held in the conference room at Expectant Parents Organization, 271 Woodland Pass Ste#214 in East Lansing from 9-10:30am.  More information is available from Carol Buzzitta at cbuzzitta@expectantparents.org or phone (517)337-7365; or Mary Adkins at Tomorrow's Child madkins@tomorrowschildmi.org

Early Childhood Literacy Coalition

The Early Childhood Literacy Coalition is a volunteer action committee comprising many of the capital area’s leading literacy, education and early childhood advocates. The group gathers monthly to network, share resources and discuss ways to promote literacy among Michigan’s youngest citizens and their families. The Coalition is a sub-committee of the Ingham County 0-5 Committee. Meetings are usually held at the East Lansing Library, the third Tuesday of each month 8:45-10:30 and are open to all. There is no meeting in December. For more information contact Beany Tomber at beany@wkar.org   or Phone 517-432-3120 Ext 406
 

Infant Mortality Initiative (IMI)

The Infant Mortality Initiative (IMI) is a coalition formed to address infant health disparities and ultimately reduce inequities in infant mortality in Ingham County.  The overarching goal of the initiative is to keep mothers and infants alive and well before, during and after birth.  The Infant Mortality Initiative meets on the 4th Thursday of every month, usually from 1:30-3:30pm in the RNICU at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.  It also serves as the advisory group to the FIMR (Fetal and Infant Mortality Review) team.  For more information click on the link above or phone Lisa Chambers at the Ingham County Health Department at (517) 272-4122 or email LChambers@ingham.org

KEEP Task Force

 The KEEP Task Force has the following objectives:
       1. To provide consultation and input to the KEEP Early Childhood Consultation and Referral Program (a participant in the Department of Community Healthy Early Childhood Expulsion Prevention Program).
       2. To facilitate networking and resource sharing for people working with early childhood programs, services, and childcare.
       3.  To provide educational opportunities to increase the early childhood community’s ability to understand and work with young children and their families experiencing difficulties that interfere with healthy development (click here to download the latest KEEP training flyers)
     In addition, the KEEP Task Force serves as the Ingham Great Start Collaborative Social-Emotional Health Advisory Committee to help implement strategies and objectives identified in the GSC 3-year strategic plan, the Ingham Early Childhood Action Agenda.
The KEEP Task Force usually meets on the first Thursday of each month in the MSU Extension Conference Room at 5303 S Cedar in Lansing from 9-11am.   For additional information contact  Dr. Barry Kaufman at CEI-CMH KEEP Program  (517) 887-5259 or email: kaufman@ceicmh.org

Kindergarten Transition

The purpose of the Kindergarten Transition workgroup is to work collaboratively with the community agencies and families to ensure that children and families are provided with information and tools to successfully enter school; that schools are prepared for children and families; and community resources are aligned to support children, families and schools. Meetings are usually the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 3:45-5:00 at the Head Start Office on 101 E. Willow and are open to all.  For more information contact: Sergio Keck at sergio.keck@lansingschools.net (517) 325-6010,  Tom Mumby at thomas.mumby@lansingschools.net (517) 325-6242, or Lucy McClintic at lucy.mcclintic@cacsheadstart.org (517) 482-1504.

Parent Coalition

The Ingham GSC working with the GSC Parent Coordinator is organizing a Parent Coalition.  The Parent Coalition is a network of parent groups, parent organizations and parent members that are willing to help plan and support the Ingham GSC efforts. The members of the Parent Coalition will serve as key contacts to a broad range of parent groups to facilitate the exchange of information between the parents, parent groups and the Ingham GSC.  For further information contact the Ingham GSC Parent Coordinator MC Rothhorn InghamGSCparents@yahoo.com or the Ingham GSC Coordinator Michelle Nicholson at mnichols@inghamisd.org

Parent Education

Parent Education is a workgroup of the Birth to Five, Great Start Collaborative.

The purpose of the Great Start Collaborative Parent Education Workgroup is to develop a variety of education, support, and services that help strengthen the vital roles that all families play in their children’s development.  We meet parents where they are in life and in their children’s lives to build confident compassionate families and homes.

The Birth to Five, Great Start Collaborative Parent Education workgroup meets on the first Tuesday of each month from 1:30-3:30 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 549 E Mt Hope Ave, Lansing, MI 48910.  On-site childcare at the Family Growth Center will be available by reservation (call Kathy at 371-1347). 

For more information about the Parent Education Workgroup contact:
Lucy McClintic at lucy.mcclintic@cacsheadstart.org or (517) 482-1504
Jaime Yeomans at jamieyeomans@att.net

Public Awareness Workgroup

The purpose of the Public Awareness Workgroup is to develop messaging to support broad community and targeted stakeholder awareness, advocacy and action regarding the early childhood education and care system's strategic agenda.  The Public Awareness Workgroup meetings will usually be held the 3rd Monday of each month at the MSU Kellogg Center in Room #6 from 1-3pm .   Child care reimbursement is available, and child care is also available at the nearby East Lansing Family Growth Center. Meetings are open to all. For more information contact Jill Lawler at JLawler@ingham.org (517) 887-4319 or Michelle Nicholson at mnichols@inghamisd.org (517) 244-1384.

Quality Initiatives Workgroup

The purpose of the Quality Initiatives Workgroup, is to support this vision, to "Create a collaborative alliance of early childhood providers and programs to promote and provide high-quality learning environments for young children from birth to age 5 through":

• Coordinating with the Public Awareness committee of GSC, to raise public awareness among parents, family, business and community members about high-quality early childhood learning environments: i.e. where it’s found, what it is and why it’s important
• Supporting professionalization of the field by: a) facilitating staff training and education through preservice, recruitment, in-service, and retention strategies and b) promoting and supporting activities to help with provider recruitment and retention, including appropriate staff compensation (salary and benefits), other incentives, and support services
• Supporting efforts to recognize early childhood professionals
• Increasing the number of high-quality, accredited early childhood programs
• Exploring, strategizing and promoting collaborative and partnership models for funding high quality education and child care to insure access to all families who want it and need it
• Creating connections and linkages for early childhood providers and programs to existing community services/resources available for themselves and the families they serve
• Coordinating with the Kindergarten Transition Committee to support and promote best practices in transition into kindergarten
• Promoting commitment to continuous quality improvement processes

Meetings are usually held at the Head Start Administrative Office (101 E Willow Lansing) on the 2nd Monday of each month 2-4pm, and are open to all.  For more information contact Marcia Rysztak at rysztam@lcc.edu (517) 483-1141, or  Michelle Nicholson at mnichols@inghamisd.org (517) 244-1384.

Operations Committee The Operations Committee of Ingham Birth to Five is composed of volunteers from the Ingham Great Start Collaborative and includes broad representation of different sectors of membership, including parents.  The Operations  Committee regularly meets on the 1st Friday of each month from 1:30-3:30pm; at CACS Head Start, 101 E Willow Lansing. The duties of this committee include, but are not limited to:

- Planning the agenda for Birth to Five GSC meetings  - Draft the annual Work Plan and Budget and bring to the Birth to Five GSC for approval  - Act as the steering committee for annual assessment process  - Assist in drafting and preparing grant applications in support of the Birth to Five GSC  - Review and provide recommendations on personnel and contracts  - Assist in building formal system operating procedures and policies  - Act in situations that are urgent and require immediate action, on behalf of the Birth to Five GSC For more information contact Michelle Nicholson at mnichols@inghamisd.org (517)244-1384

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