Dingell and Starfish Announce Funding for New Jobs and Early Education Services

Statement

U.S. Representative John D. Dingell (D-MI15) joined Starfish Family Services (Starfish) in Inkster, Michigan, to announce a $3.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will expand Starfish Family Services' Early Headstart program and create new jobs in the community.

"Starfish effectively serves our most vulnerable populations and provides our young children with a variety of critical programs and fundamental services to ensure these youngsters are given the solid foundation they need and deserve to be successful in the future," said Dingell. "Today's HHS award could not have come to fruition without the great program Starfish Family Services already has running and the leadership of their talented and focused CEO, Ann Kalass. This substantial amount of money awarded to Starfish will not only help our children achieve, it will also bring much needed jobs to the area. "

Early Head Start is a federally funded community-based program for pregnant women from low-income families with infants and toddlers. HHS Administration for Children and Families Region V issued Starfish Services the discretionary service grant at an annual base funding level for Early Head Start operations in the amount of $3,545,673 for a budget period of June 2012 until May 2017. The grant will create more than 50 new jobs across Starfish's four partner agencies including early childhood educators, nutritionists, disabilities specialists, and administrators.

"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to leverage our experience to help strengthen Detroit's capacity for quality early childhood services," said Kalass. "Our approach became a natural partnership between four organizations who share a passion for helping children and families realize their full potential. Each partner brings a unique set of skills and a strong relationship to the community which will ensure our success in preparing our youngest children for school." Ann Kalass, Starfish CEO.

Starfish, a private, nonprofit agency founded in 1963, serves vulnerable children and families in Southeast Michigan. It is a provider of early childhood development and parenting programs, children's mental health services, after school programs, and an emergency shelter for teens and youth in crisis. It has more than a dozen programs, 270 employees, and a $13 million dollar budget that serves more than 9,000 at-risk children and families each year.

Source