WGVU By Leaps & Bounds

Guests are Kate Robinson of Everbloom Montessori, Pastor Banza Mukalay, of Restoration Community Church and in-home childcare business owner, and Allison McCulley of Together West Michigan

Our guest is Amy Turner-Thole.

Our guests are Jennifer Headley-Nordman, President, First Steps Kent and John Helmholdt, President, Seyferth PR.

Our Guests are Kent County parents Millie Martinez and Taniah Ingram.

Our guests are Erica Willard, Executive Director for the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children, and Dick Bulkowski, Executive Director, of Steepletown Neighborhood Services.

Our guests are Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Director, Michigan League for Public Policy, and Tami Mannes, Organizational Lead for Western Early Childhood Support Network and Director of District Improvement & Early Childhood, Ottawa Area ISD.

We talk with Karissa Monzo, Family Support Navigator, and Blakelee Dunkelberg, Public Relations Specialist, from Family Futures

Our guest is Jenn Harrod, Client Services Manager, Health Net of West Michigan

Joel Van Kuiken, Cole Williams, and Dowan Mansfield from the Delta Project are here to discuss evidenced-based curriculum developed by Cole Williams called Son to a Father.

Crystal Houston, Executive Director with the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, joins us to discuss preventative programs that aim to keep families together and keep children from entering the foster care system.

We’re joined by Jayme Vosovic, Community Engagement Specialist for the Michigan League for Public Policy.

As we continue looking at why Normal Was Never Enough, we examine pathways to building a more equitable child care system. Our guest today on By Leaps & Bounds is Chana Edmond-Verley, CEO, Vibrant Futures and Vice-Chair, Great Start Collaborative of Kent County.

Kate O’Keefe, Director of Development and Community Engagement, Family Promise, joins us

Annemarie Valdez, President of First Steps Kent, is our guest

Marissa Brown from the Kent County Health Department is our guest

As we continue looking at why Normal Was Never Enough, we examine pathways to building a more equitable child care system.

Dr. Juan Olivarez joins us for our By Leaps & Bounds segment

Salvador Lopez is our guest

Children whose fathers are involved in their lives are more confident, get better grades, and avoid risky behaviors, which is why it is critical that fathers and men in our community stay engaged, encouraged, and informed. In an effort to support fathers, Strong Beginnings and Grand Rapids African American Health Institute have partnered on a fatherhood initiative that seeks to strengthen families...

Child care is essential to the economy, allowing parents to enter the workforce and providers to support both their businesses and families. COVID-19 has had a profound impact on child care, creating a child care crisis, underscoring the importance for a greater investment in issues of access and affordability as part of state recovery efforts, and leaving families and child advocates to push for...