Since its inception in 2016, Hope Starts Here, Detroit’s Early Childhood Partnership, has engaged families, businesses, child education and health experts, and the larger community in creating a vision to ensure that children are born healthy, prepared for kindergarten, and on track for success by third grade and beyond. Hope Starts Here aims to, at last, make a Detroit a city that puts children first.
On Nov. 22, 2019, hundreds of Detroiters – parents, teachers, early childhood providers, administrators and activists alike – gathered on the campus of Marygrove College for the third annual Hope Starts Here Summit. For the wide community engaged in refashioning the system that supports early childhood in Detroit, this was an opportunity to network, measure progress and map next steps for the Hope Starts Here framework and an introduction to Hope Starts Here’s first implementation director, Denise Smith.
More than 18,000 Detroit community members contributed to Hope Starts Here. That included families, childcare providers, educators, healthcare professionals, community advocates, business leaders, policy makers, funders, and many more. Hope Starts Here was guided by a Stewardship Board made up of parents, childcare providers, early childhood educators, healthcare providers, local and state government, and business, community and philanthropic leaders. Six Strategy Teams took on the big task of understanding the many problems children and families face in Detroit, then coming up with ideas to solve them. More than 240 parents, caregivers and others made up the Strategy Teams. Detroit residents provided input, ideas and feedback in many ways, from a citywide parent survey to over 125 listening sessions.
We listened and learned from more than 18,000 Detroit parents, caregivers, educators and community members.
December 2016
Strategy Teams and Stewardship Board formed
January 2017
Strategy teams set Hope Starts Here vision
February - May 2017
Strategy teams create ideas and solutions for Hope Starts Here’s 10-year framework
July 2017
Strategy teams finalize recommendations for 10-year framework
May 2019
Search for Implementation Director Launched
July 7th, 2021
The Hope Starts Here vision for young children and their families in Detroit is unfolding using a distributed leadership model where each person/organization’s contribution shapes our success. The intentionality by which… Read More
July 7th, 2021
The historical and largest investment in education shows the public commitment in public dollars. The American Rescue Plan Funding offers an opportunity to strengthen and sustain the early childhood education sector.… Read More
May 19th, 2021
We are in a critical time, especially for childcare stabilization. Most recently, the American Rescue Plan Act which reserved $702 million specifically for a Childcare Stabilization Fund and $438.1 million for… Read More
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Every Detroiter has a role to play in making our city a great place for children.
It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Detroit's kids need us.
I will be an early childhood champion.
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