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Employees
are less productive and have lower attendance when unable to obtain high quality
early childhood programs for their children. Research shows the care and education
of young children is critical to the recruitment and retention of parent employees
as well as the quality of the next generation of workers- two key factors to economic
growth in Oakland County. Working
families are a fact in today's economy, yet many working families struggle with
the affordability of reliable high-quality early childhood education programs.
Children in these families are at risk of becoming underachievers. One Michigan
study found that for each dollar spent on high-quality childcare, $17 is saved
on welfare, prison and remedial education costs. Children who received high-quality
early childhood education also had dramatically higher high school graduation
rates, home ownership rates and increased earning power. Engaging
the corporate community in the Great Start Collaborative-Oakland will bring awareness
to the link between early childhood development and economic development in our
county. Some of the key tasks of the Great Start Collaborative-Oakland include:
- Develop a plan to engage
the business community in the Great Start Collaborative. The plan should include
distribution of materials and presentations at appropriate venues.
- Develop
outcomes that would be relevant for our business community including ways that
they could assist their employees who are parents, support legislative efforts
in behalf of families with young children, contribute to services for families
with young children and the like.
If
you are interested in participating in the Great Start Collaborative-Oakland efforts,
please contact Darlene Zimny at darlene.zimny@oakland.k12.mi.us. | 
