Free Transportation to Medical Appointments

Did you know that you might be able to get free rides for yourself or your child's medical appointments?  Recipients through Medicaid are eligible for transportation through their managed care plan.  Most medical plans include rides to and from several varieties of appointments, including: mental health, vision, pharmacy, classes (child birthing and health education), labs, and  x-rays.

Medicaid Transportation Lines:

• Aetna Better Health Plan: (800) 947-2133
• Blue Cross Complete: (888) 803-4947
• McLaren: (888) 327-0671
• Meridian: (800) 821-9369
• Molina: (888) 898-7969
• UnitedHealthCare: (877) 892-3995
• Medicaid only: Call the phone number provided on the back of your member card. 

Before you call make sure you have the following information on hand:

• Member ID
• Your date of birth and phone number
• Address, phone number of doctor's office, doctor's name, and appointment time. 

Please note:  Some plans include car seats and others do not.  Mileage reimbursement is also available. Please visit here to read all of the details on your own individual plan. Most plans require you to call at least three days before your appointment to schedule a ride.  

2018-2019 Jackson County Preschool Interest Form Now Available

The preschool interest form for the 2018-2019 school year is now available. Parents should complete the form for their child if they would like to enroll in Jackson County Head Start, Early Head Start, or Great Start Readiness Programs. Interest forms can be completed here.

Income eligibility is based on family size.

# of Family Members	Income at or Below
2	$41,150
3	$51,950
4	$62,750
5	$73,550
6	$84,350
7	$95,150
8	$105,950

Some spaces may be available for over income families once all of the income eligible children have been enrolled.

Child Care Assistance

Are you struggling with paying for child care expenses?  Is your family looking for care during evening or weekend hours?  Do you need a provider that offers care during holidays or school breaks?  There is help and there are options available to you.

The Child Development and Care (CDC) program offered through the Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) provides families with payment assistance for child care.  Based on family size and monthly income, the CDC has the potential to help tremendously with your monthly budget.

MDHHS has set rates based on the age of your children and the type of child care provider (child care center, family/group homes, unlicensed provider).  Once this rate is determined, MDHHS will pay a portion of that rate based on the combination of your family size and income. To get an estimate of how much will be covered, you can view the CDC Income Eligibility chart, but even if you are not sure how much will be covered, you are encouraged to apply.

But what if you need child care during hours when most centers are closed?  Are there any licensed or registered providers that offer care during evening work shifts?  They answer is YES.  There are several opportunities throughout Jackson County that offer care during these non-traditional times and that currently have slots available.  To begin your search for providers closest to your home or workplace, visit Great Start to Quality or call Brittany Nortley or Kristy Storm at (517) 817-0820.  Providers found through Great Start to Quality accept funding awarded through the CDC program.

Jackson County Kindergarten Round Ups

It is time to begin thinking about Kindergarten. Children who will turn five by September 1, 2018 are eligible to enroll in a Michigan Public School for Kindergarten. Parents of children who will turn five by December 1, 2018 who want to enroll their children in Kindergarten should contact the school district for a waiver.

Below you will find a list of Kindergarten Round Up information for Jackson County Schools. Thanks to our friends at Community Action Agency for collecting all of this information. Please check with the school to verify dates and times.

School	Phone Number	Registration Information & Start Times	Young 5’s	Additional Information
Arnold Elementary  School 4064 Page Ave. Michigan Center, MI 49254	(517) 764-5700	Parent Meeting/Screening March 22nd By Appointment – 4:30, 5:30 & 6:15 P.M. School time – 8:00-3:30 P.M.	Yes	Packets online or pickup in office www.mccardinals.org
Bean Elementary School 3101 Noble Rd. Spring Arbor, MI 49283	(517) 841-8400	Parent Meeting – April 12th @ 7:00 P.M. Round up by Appointment April 23, 24, 26 @ 4:00-8:00 P.M. April 25 – by Appointment @ 3:00-8:00 P.M. School times – 8:27 – 3:27 P.M.		Receive packet and make apt. @meeting www.wsdpanthers.org
Bennett School 820 Bennett St. Jackson, MI 49202	(517) 841-2730	Round up – April 25 @ 5:30-7:30 P.M.		www.jpsK12.org
Columbia Elementary School 320 School St. Brooklyn, MI 49230	(517) 592-6632	Parent Info Meeting – March 21 @ 6:30 P.M. Meet & Greet – April 27 @ 1:30 P.M. School times – 8:35-3:49 P.M.		Packet pickup after March 1 Online registration info after March 1 www.columbiaschooldistrict.org
Cascades Elementary School 1200 S. Wisner St Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 841-3900	Round up – April 24 @ 5:30-7:30 P.M. School Times – 8:35-3:49 P.M.		Round up held at Frost Elementary School www.jpsK12.org
Concord Elementary School 405 South Main St. Concord, MI 49237	(517) 524-6650	Parent meeting – March 21 @ 6:00 P.M.	Yes	Parent meeting located in Cafeteria includes Young 5’s www.concordschools.net
DaVinci Institute Primary 559 Murphy Dr. Jackson, MI 49202	(517) 780-9980	Round up May 11 Call to schedule appointment (517) 780-9980		Charter School
Dibble Elementary School 3450 Kibby Rd Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 841-3970	Round up – April 18 5:30-7:30 P.M. School times – 8:45-3:47 P.M.		www.jpsK12.org
East Jackson Elementary 4340 Walz Rd. Jackson, MI 49201	(517) 764-1810	Round up by appointment March 19 & 20 School times – 8:30-3:43 P.M.		Please contact school for times www.eastjacksonschools.org
Ezra Eby Elementary School 220 West Napoleon, MI 49261	(517) 536-8667	Open enrollment Must register online after February 15, 2018 School times 8:30-3:36 P.M.	Yes	Click on student enrollment button School has computer access if needed www.napoleonschools.org
Frost Elementary School 1226 S. Wisner St Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 841-2600	Round up April 24 @ 5:30-7:30 P.M. School times – 8:40-3:54 P.M.		www.jpsK12.org
George Long Elementary School	(517) 867-5590	Contact School School times – 7:50-3:11 P.M.		www.grasslakeschools.com
Hanover Horton Elementary 131 Fairview St Hanover, MI 49241	(517) 563-0103	Parent Meeting – April 17 @ 6:00 P.M. Round up by appointment April 25, 26, 27 @ 8:30-2:30 P.M. April 28 @ 8:30-11:30 A.M. School times – 8:45-3:34 P.M.	Yes	Parent must attend parent meeting www.hanoverhorton.org
Hunt Elementary 1143 N. Brown St Jackson, MI 49202	(517) 841-2610	Round up – April 19 @ 9:30-11:30 A.M. School times – 7:45-2:47 P.M.		Magnet School www.jpsK12.org
JPS Montessori Center	(517) 841-3870	Round up – April 26 @ 5:30-7:00 P.M. School times 7:45-2:47 P.M.		www.jpsK12.org
Northwest Early Elementary 3757 Lansing Ave. Jackson, MI 49202	(517) 817-4705	Round up by appointment April 17, 18 & 19 School times – 8:25-3:40 P.M.	Yes	Parent meeting March 20 contact school for time www.nwschools.org
Paragon Charter Academy 3750 McCain Rd Jackson, MI 49201	(517) 750-9500	Round up – April 17 & 18 Call for appointment and tour		Charter School – Apply online www.paragoncharteracademy.org
Parma Elementary School 385 Elizabeth St Parma, MI 49269	(517) 841-8600	Round up April 23, 24, & 26 @ 4:00-8:00 P.M. April 25 by appointment @ 3:00-8:00 P.M. School times -  8:30-3:35 (Wed 2:35)	Yes	Parent meeting – April 12 @ 7:00 P.M. @ Western Community Art Center Receive packet and make appt. @ meeting www.westernschools.org
Sharp Park Academy 766 Park Rd Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 841-2860	Round up April 19 @ 5:30-7:30 P.M. School time 8:40-3:42 P.M.		Magnet School www.jpsK12.org
Springport Elementary School 300 W Main St Springport, MI 49284	(517) 857-3465	Parent meeting – March 13 @ 6:00-7:00 P.M. Open House – March 27 @ 6:00-7:00 P.M. School times – 7:30-3:33 P.M.		Kindergarten camp – August www.springportschools.net
Townsend Elementary School 1005 Floyd Ave Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 784-6133	Round up – April 19 5:00-8:00 P.M. School time – 7:30-4:00 P.M.	Yes	www.vandyschools.org
Warner Elementary School	(517) 841-8500	Parent meeting – April 12 @ 7:00 P.M. Round up by appointment April 23, 24, & 26 @ 4:00-8:00 P.M. April 25 @ 3:00-8:00 P.M.		Parent meeting @ high school auditorium www.westernschools.org
Jackson Christian School 801 Halstead Blvd Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 784-6161	Informational Open House February 12 @ 5:30 P.M. April 12 @ 5:30 P.M. Bring your child Child Care provided	No	Private School 5:15 Sign-in for the Corral-children activities 5:30 Parents Meeting 6:30 Tour Campus www.jacksonchristianschool.org
Queen’s Catholic School 811 S. Wisner St Jackson, MI 49203	(517) 782-2664	Open House – Feb 8 @ 6:30 P.M. School times – 8:10-3:10 P.M.	No	Private School www.jcsqueens.org
St. John’s Catholic School	(517) 784-1714	Open House – Feb 1 @ 6:00 P.M. After Feb 1 – Call for appointment & tour School times 8:00-3:05 P.M.	No	Private School www.jcsstjohn.org
St. Mary’s Star of the Sea	(517) 784-8811	Open House – Feb 1 6:00-7:30 P.M. School times – 8:00-3:05 P.M.	PreKdg	Private School Call for Appt if after Feb 9 www.jcsstmary.org
Trinity Lutheran School 122 W. Wesley St Jackson, MI 49201	(517) 750-2105	Open House – Jan 29 @ 6:00 P.M. School times – 8:00-3:00 P.M.		Private School www.tlsjackson.com

Family Game Night: The Benefits of Board Games

What children need and love the most is being with you.  Playing board games with your child is an easy and excellent way to spend unhurried, enjoyable time together.  And, as a bonus, these games offer children important learning opportunities and help build social skills.  They teach children the life lesson - Never give up!  Just when you feel like you are at your lowest point and losing in inevitable, you hit the jackpot and climb back up again!  You just have to stick with it.

With Valentine's Day in just a few short days, an age-appropriate board game is a perfect gift choice for your child. There are so many fantastic games to choose from.  To get you started, look below for some favorites that are sure to be a hit with your family and can easily be found in your local store!

ThinkFun Roll and Play Board Game : For children 18 months and up

Zingo : For ages 3 and up

Hi Ho Cherry-O : For ages 3 and up

Pop Up Pirate : For ages 4 and up

Let's Go Fishin : For ages 4 and up

Trouble : For ages 5 and up

Jenga : For ages 6 and up

Have fun!

When Will the 18-19 Preschool Interest Form Be Available?

The 2018-2019 Jackson County Preschool Interest Form will be available soon. We hope to have the form available to the public by February 16th. We will be using a new system that will directly input to our database in Child Plus. This will mean less data entry for staff and more timely enrollments for families.

The new interest form will have a map feature allowing parents to see the preschool sites nearest their home or work. It is also will allow us to recruit for Early Head Start, Head Start, and the Great Start Readiness Program with one form for parents.

Thank you for being patient with the enrollment process. We look forward to seeing many new faces at our first preschool fair on March 16th from 2:30-6:30 P.M. at Baker College.

Celebrating Parents and Families Event!

On Friday, February 2nd 2018, the Great Start Collaborative of Jackson County (GSC) hosted a "Celebrating Parents and Families" breakfast event at the Cascades Manor House. Those in attendance included parents, families, teachers, educational leaders, social service agency representatives and more. Two guest speakers from the Community Action Agency Building Resilience group shared their impactful stories of overcoming a life of trauma. Another highlight of the event was a focus on the Great Start Collaborative's (GSC) Trusted Advisor work. The GSC of Jackson County received a $60,000 Trusted Advisor grant to coordinate efforts around reaching the hardest to reach populations/families in Jackson County to provide resources and supports to meet needs they may have. The Trusted Advisors we are working with in the community were present at this event and are everyday individuals building relationships and connecting people to resources at food banks, shelters, work services, laundromats, and more.

Current and upcoming projects of the GSC were also shared at this event. Because of a generous grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation, the GSC has begun work on increasing the literacy scores of children in Jackson County and decreasing the effects of "summer slide." We have teamed up with our ISD Literacy team in order to plan and introduce "Summer Literacy Labs" in the county's most needed areas. These labs will be focused on both prekindergarten and K-3 Essential Instructional Practices in Literacy to build skills in both children and parents/guardians. In addition, the GSC will increase access to books in the home by utilizing the Little Free Library and the Take a Book: Return a Book program across the county.