Our Work
Six Teams Putting Children First
The Hope Starts Here framework is composed of six imperative teams. Each team has a leading organization that creates and manages initiatives to advance the imperative's objectives, helping Hope Starts Here accomplish its 2027 vision.
Structural barriers, racial disparities and fractured systems can lead to poor health in early childhood and inequitable treatment in healthcare. We are focused on Black, expectant mothers, birthing people, children 0-8, and families in Detroit receiving adequate and respectful prenatal care, universal screenings, and intersystem connection to resources. It’s critical for us to implement solutions now that improve birth outcomes for Detroit mothers and babies.
Detroit Champions for HOPE is about families helping families and people helping people. By working together, we can leave a lasting legacy for our children that is better than what we had. Working with our community partners and leaders, we’re ensuring our children get the needed resources to flourish as they grow into thriving young adults.
In collaboration with our partners, we’ve developed:
- Workshops and mindfulness sessions to address community needs.
- Simple and effective tools you can use to spark childhood learning and support the well-being of children called 6-A-Days.
We can’t do this work alone—every Detroiter matters, including YOU
Led by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation and Black Family Development, our work is focused on greater access to high-quality professionals during a child’s first eight years of life. We are creating simple tools families, parents, and caregivers can use in their daily life to prepare their children for school. Plus, we are informing and guiding parents on how to enroll their children in childcare and education programs that will help their kids excel.
Children everywhere deserve safe, beautiful, and inspiring spaces. We collaborate with providers to create consensus, advocate for safe, high-quality learning environments, and share examples and best practices for creating inspiring spaces within the city. Our projects extend beyond the classroom into outdoor spaces and facilities.
To increase efficiency and impact, we are creating an infrastructure that better coordinates and connects the various systems that support children and families. With better data systems, families can navigate resources and systems more efficiently, and we will have a more accurate sense of the state of Detroit children.
We’re addressing affordability issues by creating a solid foundation with public and private funding to meet the needs of families and child care providers who and are not served well by the current cost of care.
