LANSING – Making good on his promise to refashion education in Michigan along a cradle to adulthood model, Gov. Rick Snyder today signed an executive order creating an Office of Great Start within the Department of Education.

According to a press release issued by the governor’s office, the new office will coordinate 84 separate funding sources for early childhood programs that currently are spread across various state agencies.

“Success in school and life starts well before a child’s first day in the classroom, but the fragmented approach we have now makes it difficult to ensure needs are being met,” Snyder said. “Consolidating these worthwhile programs into one office will help make sure children are best served and developmentally on track.”

As a starting point, the Child Development and Care program, which is currently housed in the Department of Human Services, will be combined with the Department of Education’s Office of Early Childhood Education and Family Services, according to the release. The Head Start Collaboration Office, also housed in DHS, will also move to the new Office of Great Start.

In addition to helping ensure children are developmentally on track, the new office will reduce duplication and administrative overhead costs, the governor’s office noted.

Earlier this year in a letter to lawmakers, Snyder said the new office will also work “hand in hand” with foundations and businesses to make early childhood a focus.

“A bridge is needed to connect the (public and private) sectors. To that end, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) was created to be more flexible and nimble than government, and be more aligned with state and federal opportunities than the private and nonprofit sectors. The Michigan Office of Great Start, working hand-in-hand with the private sector, through ECIC, will create a dynamic partnership aimed at maximizing public and private investment in the service of Michigan’s children.”

Judy Y. Samelson, chief executive officer of ECIC, said the governor’s action “signals a change in the way education is delivered in Michigan.”

“Gone is the notion that children only begin learning when they reach the public schools. In its place is an approach that views learning as a process that begins at birth. The soundness of that approach is backed by decades of solid research that makes clear that when children get the proper supports early on they do better in school and in life. This is a good day for Michigan, for children, for parents, and for the state’s economic future.”

The Office of Great Start is a key part of the governor’s plan to reinvent Michigan’s educational system.  The new office will refocus the state’s early childhood investment strategy by adopting a single set of measureable outcomes, including making sure children are born healthy, that they are developmentally on track from birth to third grade, that children are ready to succeed in school at the time of entry and they are reading proficiently by the end of the third grade.

Earlier this year, Snyder expressed concern to lawmakers about troubling education statistics in Michigan.

“Seventy percent of Michigan fourth graders scored below the proficient reading level on the NAEP in 2009 (the most recent available data), placing Michigan 34th of the 50 states. Until the end of third grade, children are learning to read. Fourth grade students need to be able to read to learn. Children who cannot meet NAEP proficiency levels, especially low income children, are likely to end up not completing high school, becoming adults who struggle to qualify for even the lowest skill, lowest paying jobs. The result for Michigan: a lack of competitiveness in the global marketplace and a significant portion of the population without hope for a prosperous future.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan cheered the announcement of the new office within his department.

“If there is one thing we can do to set the foundation for success in school and life, focusing on early childhood development is it.”

Doug Luciani, an executive board member of ECIC and co-chair of the Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan, called the governor's action "a great win for Michigan's children and families, but also to its business community.”

“Business leaders from throughout Michigan urged Gov. Snyder to create the Office of Great Start so that children would have the tools they'll need to be ready to learn when they get to kindergarten.  The evidence is clear that those kids are the ones that grow up to be the greatest contributors in terms of workforce, job creation, and creativity and innovation.  With the stroke of his pen, the governor says to business and to talented workers that Michigan is the place to be.”

The governor's executive order also was lauded by Diana Mendley Rauner, president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago, one of the nation's pre-eminent early childhood organizations.

"The Ounce of Prevention Fund is thrilled to see Michigan take a bold step by investing in the healthy development of children and by recognizing that learning begins at birth," Rauner said. "Gov. Snyder’s actions will help ensure that every child in Michigan is born healthy and gets a fair shot at the American Dream by building the skills all children need to enter school ready to succeed.

"High-quality public education begins with an efficient pipeline that prepares students—and their parents—for the rigors of elementary, middle and high school. The Michigan Office of Great Start signifies an impressive step toward improving the education and life outcomes of all children."