Starfish CEO Ann
Kalass and some
of the children
she serves

Turning the tide by building baby power.

Vivian Henoch
Special to the Jewish News

S

tarfish Family Services may not be
a household name or the "go-to"
agency in Jewish Detroit, but its
connections run deep in the community
and its mission resonates: to nurture, con-
nect and strengthen families and to seek
positive and lasting change in the lives of
children by supporting their steps toward
success in school.
Celebrating 50 years of service to the
community, Starfish traces its beginnings
to 1963 as Northwestern Child Guidance
Clinic of Wayne County. Through the years,
Starfish has grown from a foster care and
adoption agency to a family-centered ser-
vice agency, focused on early childhood
development.
With its grassroots community approach,
Starfish has gained the esteem and support
of major foundations in the region, includ-
ing the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher
Foundation and the Jewish Fund.
"Consistently, Starfish Family Services has
stood out among the hundreds of nonprofit
agencies in metropolitan Detroit, as one that
serves a highly at-risk population of families
in a geographic area that is often overlooked,"
said Margo Pernick, executive director of
the Jewish Fund when the agency awarded
the organization a $125,000 grant in 2012 to
reach young mothers through an innovative
program called Baby Power.

Planting Seeds For Success

Headquartered in a repurposed elementary
school building on Hiveley Street in the
heart of Inkster, Starfish stands as a beacon
in the neighborhood, a true community
center. Here new visitors and old friends
alike are warmly greeted at the door to
Head Start classes, after-school programs,
parenting workshops, prenatal support,
GED training, book groups, therapy groups,

20

November 14 • 2013

JN

family counseling, sum-
mer camp, community
gardening — a myriad of
activities year-round.
The Hiveley Center
is one of 17 sites where
Starfish provides services
every school day to more Ann B. Kalass,
than 1,100 children from
Starfish CEO
low-income families in
Wayne County. Starfish
CEO Ann B. Kalass says
the building itself is a "work in progress and
a labor of love'
Kalass joined Starfish in 2007. Since
then, Starfish has grown into a $20 million
private, nonprofit agency with more than
350 employees. On staff are more than 100
master-level educators, social workers and
healthcare professionals serving outpatient
offices in Westland, Livonia and Inkster and
launching new services for children ages 5
and under throughout Wayne County.
It's 3 p.m.: We observe the mix of
"Starfish Kids" as 17 preschoolers wind
down their day with a snack in the Yellow
Room.
"Everything is family-style Kalass points
out, "so the kids are learning to share and
pass and clean up after themselves when
they're done:'
We stop to meet Ms. Joselyn, a Starfish
bus aid and mother of three boys. Joselyn's
older son has come in with her to pick up
his twin brothers.
"Here's another one of our Starfish kids,"
Kalass says. "I think he likes this part of his
day — when he can come in, take charge,
help his mother get his younger brothers
from the classroom. Here he sees people
like me who greet him and make him feel
welcome and needed. Making the connec-
tions here is just a first step, what our chil-
dren need is more support — a continuum
of services and enrichment programs that
follow their families through preschool and

beyond:'
"It's not enough to
put out the fires," says
Ronald Sollish, newly
elected Starfish board
chair. An attorney at
Maddin Hauser and a
longtime community
Ronald Sollish, leader, Sollish succeeded
newly elected
Jonathan Citrin, who
board chair
recruited him to the
board in 2011.
"A lot of public dollars are spent reme-
diating versus prevention," Sollish says.
At Starfish, we're building this incredibly
intense, loving and nurturing environment
to give children and families the tools and
support they need to break the cycle of
poverty. Our goal is to help strengthen the
community landscape here in Inkster, so
that all Inkster children start school ready
to succeed:'
About 15 years ago, Starfish re-engi-
neered its agency model, turning from
welfare services and crisis-intervention to
early childhood development. Last year,
following an extensive planning process,
Starfish embarked on an ambitious and
long-term strategy — to drive measurable
results in the outcome for children living
in low-income families.
While the city of Detroit has a well-
understood case for support, there is also
a high level of poverty in suburban ring
communities like Dearborn, Westland
and Inkster. In Inkster, 57 percent of the
children ages 5 and under live in families
with incomes below the federal poverty
level. According to the latest U.S. Census,
two-thirds of Inkster children live in single
female-led households. For children under
5, that percentage jumps to 82.5 percent.

other factors that can impede mother-
baby bonding, Starfish piloted Baby
Power, a program in partnership with the
University of Michigan Depression Center
and with generous grants from both the
Jewish Fund and Community Foundation
for Southeast Michigan.
Baby Power provides a combination of
prenatal education, home-based assess-
ment and support, group therapy, par-
enting classes, community outreach and
social events. Moms are invited to begin
the curriculum as early as their first tri-
mester and continue through their baby's
first year of life.
To attract young mothers to the pro-
gram, Starfish holds "Community Baby
Showers" and circulates its "Diaper and
Formula Van" on a regular basis at com-
munity food pantries, schools and recre-
ational centers.
The parenting classes in the program are
dual purpose: Moms come in with their chil-
dren for a weekly two-hour session, where
they share a meal, then break out for talk
therapy, while their children enjoy super-
vised preschool activities in a separate area.
"From the moment
moms walk through the
door, everything we do is
purposeful," says Jennifer
Jonika, MS, LLP, program
manager of maternal and
early childhood clinical
services at Starfish. "We're
modeling behavior, treat-
Jennifer
ing moms exactly the way
Jonika,
we teach them to interact
program
with their babies:'
manager of
Baby Power has been
maternal
a revelation for many.
and early
A mom of a 3-year-old
childhood
with typical separation
clinical
anxiety says, "My son is
services
really comfortable here;
in fact, he didn't want to leave last week,
and couldn't wait to come back today. He's
never been in a play group like this, so it's
great practice for January when he begins
preschool here:'
Sollish says, "We talk about the strength
of our Jewish communal network — but
what people may not realize is how far-
reaching that is. Years ago, Starfish won
the hearts of Marjorie and Max M. Fisher,
and their philanthropy, in turn, encouraged
their son Phillip Fisher to engage with the
organization. Phillip then brought others
in the community to follow his lead on the
board. It's all about people.
"Jonathan (Citrin) called me one day
and said, 'I'm involved with this wonderful
organization. Why don't you come and see
what it's all about?' And I did, and when
you walk into this place, and see the passion
and commitment of this organization, you
can't help but say — I want to be a part:'

❑

Baby Power
Last year, to reach young mothers and
pregnant teens at risk for depression and

Vivian Henoch writes for and edits www.
myJewishDetroitorg where this first ran.

