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 heathly and on track for school entry.

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

  • resources (job, housing, utility, food, and childcare assistance)

  • service providers (health, dental and counseling providers)

  • local child care, preschool and kindergarten options (including low and no-cost)

  • local playgroups, free books, story times, literacy and family events

  • pregnancy and early childhood development (Positive Options, 20 Hands, Early Head Start, Early On, Build Up, Arcadia Center for OT)

  • Ages and Stages Questionnaires to determine if children are on track for school (available in English and Spanish)

  • Great Start Families Connected group

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 Coordinator, Becky Huberty, Email Becky Huberty or 269-512-7738

Coordinator in front of flower mural

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. ​

  1. Children are born healthy

  2. Children are healthy, thriving and developmentally on track from birth to third grade

  3. Children are developmentally ready to succeed in school at time of school entry

  4. 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

  • 20 Hands (MIHP)

  • 36th Judicial Circuit Court - Friend of the Court Office

  • Allegan Area Educational Services Agency

  • Allegan County Community Foundation

  • Allegan County Health Department

  • Allegan County Multi-Agency Collaborative Council (MACC)

  • Allegan County United Way

  • Allegan District Library

  • Allegan Medical Clinic Pediatric Unit

  • Allegan Public School

  • Allegan/Ottawa/Barry Migrant Resource Council

  • Arcadia Center for OT

  • Community Action of Allegan County (Early Head Start, Head Start)

  • Dorr Township Library

  • Fennville District Library

  • Fennville Public School

  • Great Start to Quality and Southwest Resource Center 

  • Henika District Library

  • Hopkins Public Schools

  • Intercare Women, Infant, Children (WIC)- Plainwell, Pullman, Wayland

  • JC Wheeler Public Library

  • Leighton Township Library

  • Little Vikings Preschool

  • Little Tigers Preschool

  • Martin Public Schools

  • Michigan State University Extension

  • My Community Dental Centers-MCDC

  • North Point Church

  • On Point Allegan

  • Otsego Public Schools

  • Plainwell Community Schools

  • Positive Options of Allegan County

  • Ransom District Library

  • Resilience & Sylvia's Place

  • Safe Harbor Children's Advocacy Center

  • Wayland Public Schools

  • WGVU Public Media