Advocacy/ Budget/ Collaborative Updates
Advocacy/ Budget/ Collaborative Updates

When Families Need Help, They Turn to Us — But Time Is Running Out

When Families Need Help, They Turn to Us

For almost 20 years, Great Start Livingston has been the place families turn to when they need help.

We are Livingston County’s early childhood hub — connecting families, schools, health providers, and community partners so every child can grow up safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

Through our work with the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework, we know that one of the most powerful supports for a family is “Concrete Support in Times of Need.”

That’s what Great Start Livingston provides.
When a parent loses their job, when SNAP or other benefits run out, when a family isn’t sure where to turn — they turn to us.

We have spent years building a no wrong door, centralized access point where families can find real help. When you search online for “where to find food in Livingston County,” Great Start Livingston comes up — because we’ve worked hard to make sure families don’t have to guess where to start.

Why This Matters

Livingston County has more than 11,000 children under age six. About 70% live in homes where all parents work. Nearly one-third of families are ALICE — working hard but still struggling to cover the basics like child care, housing, and transportation.

Families can’t afford to lose the one system that helps them find the supports they need.

We lead a network of over 100 community partners — schools, libraries, health providers, nonprofits, and local agencies — all working together to help children from birth through age eight.

Without bridge funding, Livingston County will lose the only local system that:

  • Connects families to early childhood screenings, food, housing, and child care.
  • Addresses parent burnout and loneliness by helping families build community.
  • Strengthens early literacy and language development from birth.
  • Coordinates services across schools, health systems, and community agencies so no family falls through the cracks.

Our Immediate Need

This trusted system has taken almost two decades to build. If it disappears, rebuilding those relationships and resources would take years — years that families can’t afford to lose.

Our funding ends in just a few weeks. Line 32p was eliminated in the State of Michigan FY26 budget.

We urgently need bridge funding to keep Great Start Livingston operating while long-term state solutions are developed.

Your support will:

  • Keep our small but vital staff in place so families and partners stay connected.
  • Maintain programs that support early learning and school readiness.
  • Protect the community’s central access hub, called Help Me Grow, for finding help.
  • Continue offering spaces for parents to share their voice and shape solutions.

Even short-term help will protect the progress we’ve made — and the families who depend on it.

How You Can Help

✅ Connect us with local funders, service clubs, or community groups that care about children and families.
✅ Share this message with your networks, faith communities, and workplaces.
✅ Reach out to your legislators and help them understand why Great Start Collaboratives and Family Coalitions must continue to exist. We need sustainable funding.

🏛️ Livingston County Legislators

🏛️ State Contacts

Governor Gretchen Whitmer
📞 517-335-7858
📧 https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/contact

Emily Laidlaw
Deputy Director of Early Education, MiLEAP
📧 LaidlawE1@michigan.gov

Final Thought

When parents feel supported, children thrive.
When families are connected, communities grow stronger.

Great Start Livingston is where families turn when they need help — real, concrete help — in times of need.

Let’s make sure Livingston County stays a place where every child and every parent has a great start.

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