Great Start Collaborative
Hillsdale County - June 2026
Great Start Collaborative Funding
The Hillsdale County Intermediate School District (HCISD) has chosen to continue operations “business as usual” for the remainder of the school year. All current initiatives, programs, and events will continue as planned through June 30, 2027.
Family Fun
Water Safety
Summer Reading at your Local Library!
Michigan's 2026 Summer Reading Programs are officially underway! The statewide theme for this year is "Unearth a Story," focusing on discovery, archaeology, and dinosaurs. Programs are free, open to all ages, and run from June through August, offering prizes, reading challenges, and community events.
For more information, visit your local library!
For a complete list of local libraries and their service areas, click here.
Upcoming Events
King's Kupboard
1000 Books Before Kindergarten
New locations recently added!
Sign up at any of the participating libraries to start your 1000 book journey!
Research shows that talking, reading, and singing with your children regularly from birth helps build important language, math, and social-emotional skills, preparing them for success in school and beyond!
Check out the Talking is Teaching website for additional resources.
Welcome Baby Home Visit!
Developmental Milestones
CDC’s Developmental Milestones
Is your baby’s or young child’s development on track for his or her age? Young
children grow so fast it can be hard to know what to expect. With the newly updated
FREE Milestone Tracker app from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), you can learn how children play, learn, speak, act, and move as they grow
and how you can support your child’s development.
CDC’s FREE app for parents and care providers offers:
• Interactive milestone checklists in English and Spanish for children ages 2 months
through 5 years;
• The ability to adjust the checklist age if your child was born prematurely;
• Photos and videos that illustrate each milestone and make tracking them for your
child easy and fun;
• Your child’s milestone summary to share with others, like your child’s health care
provider;
• Tips and activities that can help your child’s development;
• Information on what to do if you have a concern about your child’s development;
• Reminders for appointments and developmental screening; and
• New milestone countdowns and custom user profiles
Learn more at www.cdc.gov/MilestoneTracker.
CDC also offers an Information for Families section that includes some additional topics such as:
- Free tools
- Books for families
- Resources to support developmental screeners
- Helpful resources for parents
- Resources to help promote your child development
Learn more at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/parents/index
Little Free Library
Great Start Collaborative Family Coalition Little Free Library Initiative
Did you know that there are many Little Free Libraries in Hillsdale County... 18 of which we monitor.
The Great Start Collaborative Family Coalition members volunteer to help keep our Little Free Libraries stocked with children's books throughout the year.
For more information on Little Free Library please visit https://littlefreelibrary.org/
Hillsdale County Resource Guide
South Michigan Food Bank Mobile Markets
Mom Meet Up
When: Every Friday at 10am
Who: Moms and their little rascals
Where: Hillsdale First Baptist (across from the library)
What: A chance to spill coffee while chatting, and see who can stack the most toy blocks while making new mom friends
Helping Hands Pregnancy Resource Center
BHSJ Community Health Agency
For more information on "Lock it Up"
Lock It Up | Branch Hillsdale St. Joseph Community Health Agency
Looking for a secure, lockable bag to keep your Marijuana or THC products out of reach from your child or teenager? Visit one of these locations to receive a free lockable bag.
For more information on "Lock it Up"
Community Action Agency
MDHHS
Karen's House
Child Abuse Prevention & Awareness (CAPA)
Perennial Park
MSU Extension
Child Care
Great Start to Quality allows you to search for all licensed programs in Michigan. You can search in the ways that are most important to you, whether it is by area, cost, or specific needs.






