Great Start Berrien

Local Resources

Pregnant mother with her little daughter in natureFree Home Visiting Programs There’s a lot going on in your life when you’re parenting. Getting away from your home can be hard. So we put together Berrien Parents Care to help you give your child a great start right where you live. By registering with the Berrien Parents Care, you’ll find FREE services that you may not have heard about. You do not need transportation to use these services, these programs bring the services to your home. Free Home Visiting Programs


Great Start to Quality is the best tool for families in Michigan looking for child care or preschool. Every licensed and registered program and provider, including Head Start and Great Start Readiness Programs, is listed in an easy-to-use search engine. Families can search by Zip code, hours of operation or something even more specific. For example, if a child has a food allergy or special need, families can search using that detail to find a program that meets their needs.  The only place families can see the Great Start to Quality star rating is on greatstarttoquality.org. The star ratings show how programs and providers scored on a quality rating scale. This rating scale was designed by experts and parents to help families find the highest quality setting to support their child for success in school and life.  greatstarttoquality.org is free and accessible 24/7.  Other resources available at greatstarttoquality.org include a Child Care Checklist in the Parent Toolkit that is easily printed or viewed on any device, and licensing reports that show inspections, violations and corrections. Read more at greatstarttoquality.org

BCParentNET
berriencountyParentNET.org connects parents to local resources — including healthcare, schools, activities, and parenting support.
That connection includes an interactive activity-based calendar that grows everyday! Our goal is to keep you informed of camps, sports, crafts, after-school activities, etc. available for your child throughout the year. Create your FREE account to unlock additional calendar features.
But we don’t stop there! Berrien County ParentNet also offers information and connections to area providers in an effort to make it easier for you and your family to take advantage of all the services and resources Berrien County has to offer.

DPIL
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library brings books to children’s homes. From birth until they turn five years old, children enrolled in the program will receive a new, age-appropriate book mailed to their home each month. By the time they enter kindergarten, children will have their own library of books and be more prepared to enter school and become readers.

United Way has secured funding for all of Berrien County and Cass Counties.
Read more at uwsm.org/dpil

Great Start Collaborative

Great Start Collaborative of Berrien County
711 St. Joseph Avenue
Berrien Springs, MI 49103
PH: 269-471-7725

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Contact Us Today

Purpose of Great Start Parent Coalition

The purpose of the local Great Start Parent Coalitions (GSPC) is as follows:

  1. Provide a “customer” perspective for the Great Start Collaborative.
  2. Educate community members about the importance of early childhood.
  3. Support the Great Start Collaborative’s work toward achieving Michigan’s early childhood outcomes.
  4. Provide information, education and resources to parents raising young children.

Great Start Goals

  1. Children born healthy.
  2. Children healthy, thriving, and developmentally on track from birth to third grade.
  3. Children developmentally ready to succeed in school at the time of school entry.
  4. Children prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade.
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