State Leadership - Early Childhood Investment Corporation

The Early Childhood Investment Corporation was created to be the state’s focal point for information and investment in early childhood in Michigan so that children can arrive at the kindergarten door, safe, healthy and eager for learning and life.

Click here for the Investment Corporation Accomplishments Timeline

HISTORY

The Early Childhood Investment Corporation was founded in 2005 and charged with implementing a Great Start system for Michigan both at the state level as well as one community at a time. As part of that effort, The Investment Corporation also was given responsibility for leading the state’s federal child care quality efforts on behalf of the Michigan Department of Human Services because child care is a critical key to early learning and development of young children.

Modeled after the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Investment Corporation was created through an Interlocal Agreement between the Michigan Department of Human Services and Branch County Intermediate School District. The Governor appointed 15 influential leaders from business, philanthropy, communities and state government to serve as the Executive Committee for the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. The group met for the first time as a board in August, 2005.

Over time, the Executive Committee has approved the Early Childhood Investment Corporation to focus in seven areas:

Supporting the local Great Start system infrastructure
Long range goal: Parents of young children have access to a comprehensive and coordinated array of community-based, family centered, culturally competent, high quality early childhood programs, services and supports.
Advancing Great Start System results
Long-range goal: Michigan has a comprehensive and coordinated array of evidence-based early childhood programs, supports and services with sufficient capacity to achieve the Great Start system results.
Increasing knowledge through early childhood research
Long range goal: Michigan’s early childhood community has a core of research-based knowledge with which it can advocate, educate and communicate.
Developing innovative early childhood policy
Long-range goal: The gap between “what we know” from scientific early childhood research and “what we do” in early childhood policy is closed.
Advancing public education and public will
Long-range goal: A knowledgeable, mobilized and involved state citizenry ensure that the State of Michigan makes children among its highest priorities and demonstrates that commitment through sustained public and private investment in early childhood programs and services.
Increasing public and private investment
Long-range goal: Permanent and adequate funding is in place to sustain both the infrastructure and programs of the Great Start system.
Continuously incorporating evaluation findings into all aspects of the Investment Corporation work
Long-range goal: Early Childhood Investment Corporation, Great Start Collaboratives and Great Start Parent Coalitions utilize evaluation findings to continuously inform and improve means, methods, decisions, and approaches to their respective scopes of work.

BOARD

By Interlocal Agreement, the members of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation Board are appointed by the Governor and Participants to the Early Childhood Investment Corporation Interlocal Agreement. Participants are identified as the state’s 57 intermediate school districts. Each one that joins appoints a local community representative to the Corporate board which meets annually. To date, 44 have joined and five others are in progress.

In 2009, in an effort to encourage growing bi-partisan legislative interest and contributions to early childhood, legislative quadrant leaders (Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader) began making recommendations to the Governor for appointment of one member each to the Corporate Board and Executive Committee.

The Early Childhood Investment Corporation is governed day-to-day by a 19-member Executive Committee which meets at least quarterly. The Executive Committee has a variety of advisory committees including a Chairman’s Discussion Group which addresses administrative issues including finance, audit and human resources, along with board meetings and other emerging issues. The Strategic Planning Committee reviews all programmatic activities. External advisory committees made up of a broad spectrum of state-wide leaders and experts, advise on each system component. The Great Start Systems Team is made up of state department program leaders who guide around issues related to public investment in early childhood.

Upcoming Board Meetings
Meetings are held at the Early Childhood Investment Corporation office unless otherwise noted.

2013

May 15, 2013 – 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Click here for more information!
September 11, 2013 – 1p.m. to 4 p.m.

2014

February 12, 2014 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
May 14, 2014 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
September 10, 2014 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Review Board Minutes: 2005 to Present

EARLY CHILDHOOD INVESTMENT CORPORATION
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Officers

Chairperson - David Hollister
Chair-elect - Beverly Burns
Secretary - Lew Chamberlin
Treasurer - Leslie Murphy

Executive Board Members

Shauna Barbeau - Nurse Practitioner, James Street Academic Community Health Center
Betsy Boggs - Executive Director, Adoptive Family Support Network
Susan Broman - Deputy Superintendent, Office of Great Start, Michigan Department of Education
Beverly Burns - Principal, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone
Lew Chamberlin - Managing Partner, CEO, Whitecaps Baseball
Carolyn Clark - Office Administrator, MI AFSCME Council
Melissa Cragg - Chief Investment Officer, The Fisher Group
Dan DeGrow - Superintendent, St. Clair County Regional Education Service Agency
Deborah Dingell - President, D2 Strategies
Jeanne Englehart - Consultant/Executive Director, Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center
Beverly Hammerstrom - Owner and President, BASH Research Ltd. and Adjunct Professor
of Political Science at Monroe County Community College and Washtenaw Community
College
David Hollister - Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Prima Civitas Foundation
Leslie Murphy - President & CEO, Murphy Consulting, Inc.
Marianne Udow-Phillips - Director, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation

EARLY CHILDHOOD INVESTMENT CORPORATION
STAFF & CONSULTANTS

Serving every county in Michigan, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation staff and consultants are a group of dedicated individuals working to help ensure a Great Start for Michigan’s youngest learners. The following includes both staff and consultants, full- and part-time along with state-detailed staff.

Chief Executive Officer

Judy Y. Samelson

Staff

Joan Blough - Senior Vice President, Great Start System Strategy and Evaluation

Jacqui Broughton - Policy Specialist
Sheri Butters - Director of Great Start to Quality

Bryn Fortune - Parenting Leadership Project Manager

Amy Godfrey - Administrative Assistant, Great Start Division
Carrie Hatcher - Director of Finance
Shannon Horvath - Executive Office and External Affairs Project Coordinator

Jennifer Kurzynowski - Vice President of Administration and Operations

Sean Neall - Vice President of External Affairs

Mark Osgerby - Internet Communications Manager
Karen Roback - Senior Director Early Learning Innovation

Robin Ross - Great Start Contract Administrator

Brenda Ruffing - Assistant Director of Administration

Sarah Triplett - Assistant Director of Communications & Community Engagement

Kim Walker - Administrative Assistant, Great Start Division

April Wyncott - Senior Director of Great Start Network-Consultation and Technical

Assistance

Marissa Zamudio - Diversity Specialist

State Detailed Staff
Kathi Pioszak - Contract Administrator

Great Start State-wide Network Consultants

Michele Chenier - Great Start Consultant
Jenine Gatewood - Great Start to Quality Program Manager

Rachel Mellema - Great Start Consultant

Kelly Kreider - Great Start to Quality Improvement Manager

Marie Sarchet - Great Start Consultant
Lisa Temple - Great Start Consultant
Alicia Williams - Great Start to Quality Consultant

Holly Wingard - Great Start Consultant

Great Start Communications Consultants

(Helping to share information and best practices of Great Start efforts across Michigan)

Teri Banas - Writer
Jordan Blough-Orr - Parent Communications Advisor

Brenda Brissette-Mata - Writer

AUDIT REPORTS

2009
Audit
Single Audit

2010
Audit
Single Audit

2011
Audit
Single Audit

2012
Audit - Draft
Single Audit - Draft