Executive Summary

Vision
All children will be physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually prepared to enter kindergarten "Ready to Learn, Ready to Succeed, Ready for Life" through the love, nurture, and support of their families, their caregivers, and their community.

Mission
Everybody Ready engages the community to support families and caregivers as they meet the needs of children 0-5.

We Envision A Community...
That is strengthened by and recognized for the value that it places on its children; a community where decisions are made with children in mind and where children are a part of our everyday thinking. A community where not only parents and immediate family, but all sectors of the community, recognize that the quality of all of our lives is significantly impacted by the quality of every person's early childhood experience.
Where it is clearly understood and espoused by everyone that what is good for the children is good for all of us, and that all of us must take responsibility for their care.

A shared community vision requires all sectors of the community to work together in a collaborative system to make it a reality.

In this community, we envision an integrated system...

	Where families and caregivers have 24 hour access to information and affordable resources that will help them nurture and raise their children, and where parents' decisions and choices for their children are respected and valued.
	Where prenatal care is universally available and where support of good health includes the nurturing and support of lifestyles and habits that are healthy for kids.
	Where childcare providers are licensed and accredited to assure quality of care, where quality infant care is readily available and where staff compensation and quality management reflect the value we place on children.
	Where care services are integrated into the community; where infants and senior citizens can serve and be served together.
	Where home visits enhance and reinforce a stable family environment, and other support resources are readily available for new parents.
	Where our education systems espouse the value of 0-5 learning, and serve as a conduit to connect the 0-5 and K-12 experiences; where educators work to assure a seamless transition and provide the support necessary for all children to reach their highest potential.
	Where churches and faith-based groups reinforce the community commitment to children and families by creating opportunities for adult/ child interaction and by providing an "extended family" of nurturing and support to help close the immediate family gap so often experienced by families in a mobile society.
	Where our government and elected officials recognize the importance of this issue and provide funding and resources to support it; and where you cannot get elected without a demonstrated commitment to kids.
	Where grass roots advocacy - from parent organizations, churches and the community - can impact government policy and decisions.

We envision a community where...

	Businesses and Labor organizations enact family-friendly policies and support child/ adult interaction for their employees.
	Services and product offerings support customers with young children, such as housing developments designed as neighborhoods, movies and other entertainment venues that allow for infants, and services inside retail and other establishments that support the needs of families.
	The media actively supports good parenting through public service announcements, programming and marketing.
	Philanthropic organizations provide major funding for 0-5 needs.
	Conferences and community forums provide opportunities to understand, discuss and support this vision.
	Everyone understands that kids are everyone's responsibility.

The purpose of Everybody Ready is not to directly provide these services but to define and support this shared community vision and to provide the connectivity on this issue between its diverse sectors.

The purpose of Everybody Ready is to:

	Create an "Alliance" of representatives from Business, Media, Education, the Faith-Based Community, Health (Physical and Mental), Philanthropy & Service Clubs, Government, Labor, Childcare Professionals, and Families.
	Raise our individual and community consciousness of what children ages 0-5 need to succeed.
	Develop a media campaign that will create the awareness and passion for the issues of young children, their families, and caregivers.
	Build support and capacity for a comprehensive plan to assist families and other caregivers that will assure that all children ages 0-5 will be ready to succeed in school and in life.
	Implement the plan using the combined efforts, knowledge, and resources of the Alliance and the community as a whole.
	Continuously evaluate the plan and make necessary changes and adjustments as a result of the evaluation.
	Continue Public Awareness and Community Leader Passion for the Good of the Children!

Core Values

	Every child is entitled to the basic needs of optimal development: nurturing relationships, stable families, quality care and educational environments, safety and health, basic needs of food, clothing and shelter, and an engaged community.
	Optimal childhood development is most likely to occur in the context of trusting relationships.
	Parents are primary decision-makers for their children and serve as the child's first and most important teacher.
	There must be a strong connection between caregivers and parents if an optimal environment is to exist for children to grow, learn, and develop.
	An engaged community works together to meet the needs of children 0-5 by providing a foundation for successful living.

Process

	A system of care must provide easy access and linked services to best serve the needs of children, their families, and caregivers.
	Programs must become comprehensive in their approach rather than the traditional "stand alone" categorical approach.
	Blending programs and pooling resources, staff, and knowledge creates a system of care that is efficient and effective.
	Bringing together the different groups that impact the families and caregivers of young children to provide systemic services.

Structure

Committees

Public Awareness and Policy

Goals:

Educate the community on the issues of children 0-5 through a speaker's bureau and a multi-media campaign.

Educate the community on policies that affect young children and families.

Educate the community on the importance of advocating for issues and policies that support our children and families.

Early Childhood Support

Goals:

To Reach every parent with basic information on early childhood development.

Support early childhood professionals in improving the quality, availability, and affordability of early education and care environments.

Our Region/Community
As part of the first phase of our work, we intend to serve the cities and townships that make up our Southern Wayne County region. As we are successful and move forward, it is our intention to be involved in expanding our work throughout Wayne and Monroe County.

To view a copy of the completed "blueprint" that was compiled by the Michigan Legislative task force click here-

www.housedems/elkins.com

Our Board of Directors

President
John Colina

Vice President
Fred Eaton

Secretary/Treasurer
Pat Sargent

Board Members

Nancy Colina
Colina Foundation

Lena Montgomery
Wayne County RESA

Lisa Rutledge
Oakwood Healthcare System

Kurt Sebaly
Penrickton Center for Blind Children

Karl Travis
Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church

Denise Wheeler
4 C's

Karen Wilson
Central Distributors of Beer, Inc.