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
March 18th, 2021
The existing early care and education (ECE) system does a disservice to the educators — largely women and often women of color — who nurture and facilitate learning for millions of… Read More
March 18th, 2021
Hope Starts Here (HSH) has 26 policy priorities and we are constantly monitoring the social and political climate to better understand opportunities to pivot among priorities. Hope Starts Here annually develops… Read More
February 10th, 2021
Recently, we heard from the governor during her State of the State address and she mentioned the need for us to focus on common ground. Hope Starts Here policy priorities,… Read More
You can help!
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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