Strengthening families to create brighter futures for children
WDIV Local 4 aired a special segment on July 22, 2018, about the amazing partnership between Beaumont Health and Starfish Family Services and how it has been a benefit to new mothers in the community. Sandra Ali, who was the emcee at Starfish’s Great Hearts Gala in May, spoke with the family featured during the event presentation.
The program pairs new mothers with Infant Mental Health Therapists to guide and support them through motherhood. Watch the video below:
INKSTER, MICH. (July 10, 2018) — Starfish Family Services (Starfish) is pleased to announce it has received a $50,000 grant from the GCH Heritage Foundation. The grant will specifically support Starfish’s early childhood programs with a multidisciplinary approach designed to address unmet developmental delays in children throughout Wayne County. In 2016, the GCH Heritage Foundation awarded Starfish a $65,000 grant to assist in the startup of this essential community service.
Early intervention for children with mild to moderate developmental delays is vital. If ignored, even the mildest delay may progress into more extensive and serious problems. Unfortunately, many children from families with limited resources “fall through the cracks” because their issues are not severe enough for insurance companies or school systems to cover assessment and treatment costs.
“It is our desire to support these families, and for every child to have a success story,” said Ann Kalass, Starfish Chief Executive Officer. “The first five years of a child’s life are critical due to rapid brain growth. If early delays are left untreated, a child is at risk for falling even further behind.”
Starfish early intervention team members represent multiple disciplines, including mental health therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and teachers. The team works in tandem to conduct a comprehensive developmental and behavioral assessment and to develop a customized plan of action for each child. Starfish team members also work in close collaboration with parents and caregivers to provide ongoing consultations and interactive parent and child group opportunities. The goal is to ensure that the entire family has the tools to help a child to thrive.
“The initial results have demonstrated the tremendous opportunities this program provides to address some critical needs of children in our community and the Foundation was very pleased to provide this grant to help continue its worthy mission,” said Gary Ley, Executive Director of the GCH Heritage Foundation. “Starfish has an outstanding track record of providing comprehensive, quality family health services that give young children a chance for a healthier start in life,” continued Ley. “We are excited to support this creative program.”
About Starfish Family Services: Founded in 1963, Starfish Family Services (Starfish) is a private, nonprofit human service agency, recognized as a champion for at-risk families in metropolitan Detroit. Serving over 2,000 children and their families daily, our mission is to strengthen families to create brighter futures for children. We provide high-quality programs and support services that focus on early childhood development, mental health wellness, and empowering parents. Through our family-centric, integrated approach, we supply access to the right resources at the right time so that our community clients transition from crisis to self-sufficiency and long-term success. For more information, contact Marketing & Communication Manager Kelle Sisung at ksisung@sfish.org See also: www.starfishonline.org.
About GCH Heritage Foundation: The GCH Heritage Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation, committed to building healthier communities through philanthropic efforts. Our focus is on inspiring new and creative methods of providing healthcare and social services, with an emphasis on programs for children under 18 years of age. The Foundation was originally a subsidiary of Garden City Hospital, but became independent and repurposed itself after the hospital was sold to a for-profit entity. Proceeds from the sale created the initial capital funding for the Foundation and members of the community continue their long-standing financial support. For more information, contact Executive Director Gary Ley, admin@gchheritage.org
LaQuanda Murphy is counting down the months until September.
That’s when her four-year-old son, Kaycen, will qualify for free preschool through the state’s Great Start Readiness Program. It’s a big deal to the Saginaw area single mother for two reasons: her son will get a high-quality education, and her $500 monthly bill for childcare will disappear.
“I definitely feel it in my pocketbook,” said Murphy, 29, who works for the U.S. Postal Service. “It all just boils down to readjusting, because I have to do it.”
While Michigan provides free, state-funded preschool for 4-year-olds from low-to-moderate-income families, it offers little financial help for families with children ages three and younger.
Research has shown that children’s brains develop rapidly from birth to age three – making early childhood learning an important stepping stone. High-quality childcare promotes strong social, emotional and language development, putting children on the path to success by the time they enter kindergarten.
It’s a lack of investment that hurts families and the economy, experts say.
Often, it means struggling families must settle for lower-quality care – such as a family friend or neighbor down the street – rather than a licensed program. Or parents must cut back on their hours on the job or stay out of the workforce entirely.
“Parents across the economic spectrum in Michigan are challenged with childcare costs,” said Matt Gillard, President and CEO of Michigan’s Children, an advocacy group focusing on the needs of low-income children and families. “Parents want high-quality childcare opportunities for their children when they’re at work. Policy makers need to do a better job of prioritizing that.”
A significant expense
High-quality childcare can be one of the most significant expenses families face.
In Michigan, the cost of care for an infant – typically the most expensive age – averages $10,281 per-year at a childcare center and $7,179 at a private, home-based provider, according to Childcare Aware of America, an advocacy group.
If you’re looking for help footing the bill, chances are you don’t qualify. The state of Michigan provides assistance, but only for some of the poorest families.
Currently, that’s families at 130 percent or less of the federal poverty rate. For a family of three, that translates into an annual income of roughly $26,600.
It’s one of the most restrictive income eligibility requirements in the nation.
Fourteen other states, including Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Alabama, don’t provide help to a family of three with an annual income above $30,630, according to a 2017 study from the National Women’s Law Center.
“This is putting pressure on families,” said Pat Sorenson, a senior policy analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy, a progressive think tank focusing on social issues. “The child care system is so grossly underfunded in this state.”
(This map shows average childcare costs by county in 2015. Source: Michigan League for Public Policy.)
There are states, however, where childcare assistance is a far different story.
Take Maine, for example, where a family of three can earn an annual income of $54,589 and still qualify for assistance, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
Murphy wishes Michigan would help more families shoulder the expense.
She’s been bringing her son, Kaycen, to Building Blocks Childcare & Preschool in Saginaw since he was three. She’s thrilled with the care and education he receives there. He’s built friendships, strengthened his social skills and learned about numbers and words.
“It’s so important because he’s learning so many skills that I would not be able to teach him one-on-one,” she said. “He’s learning something new every day.”
Murphy isn’t looking for a “handout,” but says paying her monthly bill has kept her from putting more money aside for goals like paying off her car and saving for her family’s future.
“If we ever hit a hardship, I want to be ahead of the curve,” she said. “I don’t want to be just riding the wave.”
High quality care
Differences between high- and low-quality childcare aren’t tough to spot.
High-quality providers create a stimulating environment. They plan for each day, designing games that incorporate counting and literacy, such as matching words to letters and sounds.
Good providers also help children develop strong social skills, so they can better deal with conflict and have fewer outbursts when they don’t get their way, said Tomoko Wakabayashi, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Child Studies at Oakland University.
“The kids gain the skill of thinking for themselves, critically thinking, regulating their behavior, those kinds of foundational skills that would be important as they transition into school,” she said.
Often, such programs are taught by educators with an associate or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or child development.
For infants and toddlers, high-quality care means a warm, nurturing environment where children are safe to explore and learn through games and other activities. Individual attention is paramount, with state quality guidelines recommending no more than three infants or toddlers for every adult.
Such care is often pricey.
Heather and Colt Dykstra feel the expense every month.
The couple – she’s a special education teacher and he works at Arcadia Brewing Company in Kalamazoo – estimate they fork over upwards of $1,000 a month to send their one-year-old daughter to the at Borgess Child Development Center in Kalamazoo.
It’s not necessarily breaking their bank account. But when combined with other expenses – a home mortgage, groceries and car payments – the couple doesn’t have much wiggle room left in their budget.
“It’s frustrating because it costs so much,” said Heather Dykstra, 32, who lives in Richland. “I definitely wish that one of us could stay home. That’s not really possible.”
The federal government’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs provides free care for families with children from birth to age 5. But the income requirements are even stricter than Michigan’s.
A family of three, for instance, cannot have an annual income higher than $20,420 per year to qualify.
Families struggle
Nicole Liggins has seen the struggle to pay for childcare play out firsthand.
She owns Building Blocks Childcare & Preschool in Saginaw, and she prides herself on the quality of care she provides. Her employees have degrees or certificate in early childhood education, class sizes are kept small, and children participate in games and activities designed to build their social skills and teach them about math, literacy, science and art.
But such care costs money.
Liggins estimates that 70 percent of her families receive state or federal assistance to help pay the weekly tuition rate, which ranges between $100 to $140 per child.
Those who have to pay on their own can struggle. There’s been times when she’s had to discontinue care for families who can’t afford the service, she said.
“It breaks my heart,” said Liggins, who has owned Building Blocks for close to five years. “But I have a business to run.”
When a family meets Michigan’s income eligibility requirement for childcare assistance, the state provides that assistance in the form of a reimbursement to childcare providers.
Last year, that reimbursement totaled $828 per month for a 1-year-old, according to a study by the National Women’s Law Center.
In some instances, that’s not enough to cover the full cost of care.
The center estimates childcare for a 1-year-old in Michigan has a market rate of $1,027 per month.
“The subsidies aren’t big enough,” Ann Kalass, CEO of Starfish Family Services, a nonprofit childcare provider serving metropolitan Detroit.
Families could be getting a little more help moving forward.
Michigan is expected to receive an additional $65 million in federal funding for childcare assistance this year. And state lawmakers are taking steps to use that funding to expand eligibility – to 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
That translates into $30,630 for a family of three.
Advocates are pleased with the increase, but they say more work is to align Michigan’s income eligibility levels with leading states.
“Even if they are eligible for a subsidy, some families may not have the resources needed to purchase high-quality care or more expensive infant care,” said Sorenson, of the Michigan League for Public Policy.
Liggins agrees.
“This is about getting children prepared for the future,” she said.
By SHERRI WELCH
Ann Kalass, CEO, Starfish Family Services
Starfish Family Services is working on a “playbook” to enable other child-care providers to replicate its service model, which combines early childhood education with behavioral health, parent support and an approach that takes into account traumatic experiences and their effects on behavior.
To do that, the nonprofit first is working to define and standardize the model within its own operations. Traumas, such as the loss of a parent, an unsafe living environment or family member addicted to drugs or alcohol often get in the way of children’s learning, healthy development and growth, said Starfish CEO Ann Kalass.
“We’re trying to reframe our work with children from ‘why is this child bad?’ … throwing a temper tantrum or acting out, to (asking) what happened to this child that makes him or her act that way and bringing that lens to how we work with kids,” she said.
Starfish provides early childhood education to low-income children in Wayne County, behavioral health services and programs to support parents and families.
The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation provided a $250,000 grant to fund Starfish’s yearlong standardization effort.
With the Starfish service model, therapists visit families at home to assess what’s going on there and what the families’ needs are. Then they work to connect them to services that can help meet those needs.
Starfish also focuses on the parents’ mental health, their relationship with their child — from prenatal to age 8 — and the child’s development.
The group also embedded behavioral health consultants at all of its early childhood centers and is training its staff and consulting with parents to help them understand how to support children who have been traumatized.
The model is showing promising outcomes, Kalass said. She added that about 79 percent of the 4-year-old children in Starfish’s seven early education centers in western Wayne County were ready to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2017.
“We have been unable to find a contrasting number for the state or Southeast Michigan,” she said. “(But) that’s all the more impressive because … we are serving some of the children facing higher risk, (such as) poverty, developmental disabilities and homelessness.”
Replicating the model is a goal in Starfish’s three-year strategic plan.
The agency is always exploring alternative business models to ensure its programs are sustainable and well-funded, but it hasn’t yet decided about whether it will license its program to others, Kalass said.
Inkster-based Starfish has linked behavioral health to early childhood programs for more than a decade. Two years ago, it committed to universal trauma screening, as well.
While the Inkster-based nonprofit employs the integrated and trauma-focused approach at its early childhood centers, it’s looking to standardize and strengthen it at those locations, Kalass said.
It’s also working toward bringing the trauma-centered approach to the Thrive By Five collaborative’s 16 centers across the city, something that interests other member agencies, including Focus: Hope, Order of the Fisherman Head Start Ministries, American Indian Health and Family Services and Development Centers, she said.
Starfish, which is operating on a $40 million budget, has taken on direct service at four of the Detroit early childhood centers in the collaborative. Southwest Solutions, which ceased offering early childhood services last fall over funding issues, previously operated those sites.
Other centers Southwest operated are now under the management of the other collaborative partners as part of the closure of some centers and opening of others, Kalass said.
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INKSTER, MICH. (Dec. 4, 2017) –Starfish Family Services has received a $76,000 grant from the Dresner Foundation in support of launching Phase II of Starfish Family Services’ Building Resilient Communities (BRC) initiative. Starfish launched BRC in response to one of our most serious public health threats- childhood trauma, which can harm social-emotional development and eventually physical health.
Studies show 1 in 4 children experience trauma by preschool, but key adults in a child’s life can be trained to be a buffer against traumatic experiences. Thus, Phase I of BRC consisted of, embedding trained trauma therapists into preschool classrooms, screening all Starfish preschoolers for trauma, and implementing a ten-month Trauma Smart© training program for the first wave of 140 staff persons. Developed by experts at Crittenton Children’s Center, Trauma Smart©, is an evidence-based intervention model, recognized, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, to be effective in helping children and the adults who care for them effectively address the negative impact of violence and trauma.
Starfish is very excited about Phase II of the initiative which will include: Trauma Smart training for an additional 45 staff, clients, and parents, and the translation of program materials into Spanish and Arabic for parent groups who are more comfortable learning in their native language. In addition, “train the trainer” education will enable Starfish to sustain the Trauma Smart© program internally in future years.
“Starfish is so grateful that the philanthropic community continues to support this work,” said Ann Kalass, CEO of Starfish Family Services. “The Dresner Foundation with its mission to support organizations that empower children and their families make them a natural fit for this initiative. Initial results of the Building Resilient Communities work have made such a positive impact on the families we serve. Our teachers feel more supported and engaged, our children display fewer incidents of disruptive behavior, and we are excited to offer some of the same training to the parents of our children so that these important learnings can also be utilized in the home.”
To learn more about Starfish’s Building Resilient Communities Initiative, please visit: https://www.starfishfamilyservices.org/what-we-do/brc/