If you are keeping up with the ECIC blogs as of recently you may notice there are no shortage of opportunities (or travel) to meet with those in the field locally (and broader) to learn and discuss the exciting work underway, and the exciting work planned for the future. 

Today was the first half day of a one and half meeting taking place in Mt. Pleasant that is being co-hosted by the Head Start Collaboration Office and the Department of Human Services – Tribal Affairs Office in partnership with the Administration for Children and Families Region V office, the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) and Tri-Tech.   This meeting included representation from four tribes in Michigan and includes partners from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, Department of Human Services Office of Early Education and Care, and the Michigan Department of Education. 
 
This first half day of conversation was planned to be focused around Child Care and Tribal Child Care in Michigan and  through only three hours of facilitated conversation we talked much broader to components that are untilmately connected to Child Care.  We discussed the connections with Head Start/Early Head Start, Child Care Subsidy, Child Welfare, Great Start Collaboratives, Great Start Parent Coalitions, Great Start Connect, connections between tribes and state services, and more. 
 
Certainly this is a small group in the grand scheme and we could take days discussing many of these topics in great lengths but the focus of our conversation was preliminary and an opportunity for identification and to create a path. These are the moments in which I wish we walked away with a map dissecting the intersections of the systems that are in place, and the evolution of an improved system that continues to build. 
 
Through this brief opportunity we were able to discuss needs of individuals, barriers, successes, and opportunities for building. In closing our facilitators from NCCIC and Tri-Tech asked participants to identify their brief thoughts from day one including: energized, informed, optimistic, awareness of opportunities, and planning. 
 
Those are just a handful of ideas you hope to hear at the end of a meeting, and keeps you looking forward to the remainder of the work at hand.  

Jeremy Reuter is the Director of the Head Start Collaboration Office