The MISSION of the Great Start is to coordinate family and community engagement to assure a coordinated system of support, services and resources is available to assist Dickinson and Iron County families in achieving a ‘great start’ in school for all children from birth to eight years old.

DI Great Start Coalition consists of parent leaders and caregivers of young children. The DIGSPC is dedicated to prioritizing parent leadership and empowering parents to assist families in parenting skills, developing leadership skills, advocating for children and encouraging parents to join causes and take action by speaking up and making a difference!

The purpose of Michigan’s Trusted Advisors is to engage Great Start Parent Coalition leaders to strengthen and develop community systems to improve connections to families with children birth to age 5. By promoting early learning, early literacy, leadership development, critical thinking and peer mentoring – parents become trusted advisors who make a difference.

Teamwork, system building and partnerships are all integral and essential components of completing successful annual Great Start Work Plans. Great Start identifies partners with similar tasks and goals in order to collaborate and coordinate initiatives that improve family and children’s lives. Great Start is a system, a movement that greatly benefits when partnerships work together to maximize performance and activities goals and objectives.