About Us

Help Me Grow Allegan is an initiative of the Great Start Collaborative. This "no wrong door" approach connects families, who are expecting or who have children birth- age five, to local resources and service providers so all children are developmentally healthy and on track for school entry.

Partners share our Help Me Grow website and phone number with families, so they are connected to local:

Basic Needs (diapers & wipes, clothing & furniture, food & formula assistance, utilities assistance, housing assistance)
Pregnancy Support (Positive Options, WIC, On Point Allegan, Early Head Start, 20 Hands)
Age 0-3 Support (WIC, On Point Allegan, 20 Hands, Early On, Parents as Teachers home visitation services)
Child Development Questions (ASQ screeners, parent support groups, Great Start Family Coalition- Families Connected events, Talking is Teaching Play-&-Learns, library story times, Allegan County Community Foundation's Dolly Parton Imagination Library, free community events)
Childcare Assistance (low-cost licensed childcare centers, low-cost licensed homes, free Early Head Start childcare centers for 0-3 year olds)
Preschool Assistance (low-cost preschool options for 3-4 year olds)
Preschool Enrollment (PreK for All) (free Head Start preschool for 3-4 year olds and free GSRP preschool for 4 year olds)

Does your agency, business, organization or foundation support pregnant mothers and/or families with children ages 0 through age 8? Are you interested in collaborating with the Great Start Collaborative to increase support and access to early childhood resources, programs, and services for pregnant mothers and/or families through our Help Me Grow Allegan initiative? If yes, we would love to hear from you! Please contact our Great Start Collaborative Supervisor, Becky Huberty, Email Becky Huberty or 269-512-7738

Allegan County Great Start Collaborative

Michigan's Office of Great Start established Great Start Collaboratives & Great Start Coalitions for every county to build stronger early childhood systems through these 4 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 time of school entry
Children are prepared to succeed in fourth grade and beyond by reading proficiently by the end of third grade

In order to accomplish these 4 outcomes, Allegan County's Great Start Collaborative creates and sustains strong partnerships with community organizations, agencies and families to help guide this work. For more information about statewide Great Start Collaboratives and Parent Coalitions, please visit our MI Kids Matter website.

Our Purpose:

To align programs, so parents have knowledge and access to resources and services they need, resulting in their children being ready for kindergarten and eager to learn.

Our Mission

To ensure a coordinated system of community supports so that all Allegan County children have a great start from prenatal to age five.

Our Vision:

A great start for every child in Allegan County: Every child is safe, healthy and eager to succeed.

This program and all materials are funded through a grant provided by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.

Allegan County Great Start Collaborative Partners