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MiFamily Engagement Center Region 2 announces grant awards to support family engagement and literacy

Region 2 includes Char-Em ISD, Manistee ISD, Northwest Education Services, and Wexford-Missaukee ISD

MiFamily Engagement Center Region 2 has awarded $164,000 in its first grant cycle, supporting 15 projects focused on building strong family relationships and enhancing parent education around literacy throughout Northwest Michigan.

MiFamily Engagement Centers are a new state-level initiative that serve as a nexus for resource development and capacity-building for those supporting educators, providing educational programs, linking families to community resources, and reaching out to families to better equip them in becoming partners in their child’s education. The centers serve as a system of support (not a physical location) and are administered by intermediate school districts with funding from MiLEAP.

Carolyn Beltz, Region 2 Coordinator, said the grant opportunities were designed to foster authentic family engagement by supporting initiatives that align with the “MiFamily: Michigan’s Family Engagement Framework” and implement high-impact strategies.

“A highly competitive application process yielded numerous compelling proposals, making the selection of awardees a challenging task,” said Beltz. “The review process carefully considered various factors, including alignment with the MiFamily Framework and the potential for high-impact outcomes.”

The 15 awarded projects span a range of initiatives, with individual grant amounts ranging from $1,395 to $31,675. These projects address diverse needs throughout Region 2 – Char-Em ISD, Manistee ISD, Northwest Education Services, and Wexford-Missaukee ISD – and implement strategies designed to strengthen home-school-community partnerships and ultimately improve student outcomes, Beltz noted.

Grantees include: Great Start Collaborative and Family Coalition Traverse Bay, Northwest Education Services; East Jordan and Boyne City’s preschool program, Strong Beginnings; Benzie Public Schools; Kingsley Branch Library; Communities in Schools of Northwest Michigan; Northern Blooms Montessori; Compass After School Program: Petoskey United Methodist Church; Alliance for Economic Success; Mesick Consolidated Schools; PoWeR! Book Bags; Communities in Schools of Northwest Michigan and Central Lake Early Opportunities; East Jordan Public Schools; Healing Private Wounds; and Cadillac Area Public Schools.

“These projects represent innovative and impactful approaches to family engagement, particularly in the critical areas of building relationships and literacy development. We are confident that these initiatives will make a significant difference in the lives of families and children across the region,” said Beltz.

The MiFamily Engagement Center, Region 2 is committed to leading and effectively supporting intermediate school districts (ISDs) and local districts as they establish and implement high-impact family engagement practices. The Center strives to foster strong home-school-community partnerships that contribute to improved student outcomes.

For more information about the MiFamily Engagement Center, Region 2 and its initiatives, including details on the funded projects and to sign up to receive updates, please visit: www.charemisd.org/parent-educator-resources/mifamily-engagement-center.

Complete list of recipients and projects:

The following projects were awarded grant funding from MiFamily Engagement Centers Region 2 in 2025. To keep up-to-date on grant opportunities, please use the button above to register for Region 2 news and updates!

Great Start Collaborative and Family Coalition Traverse Bay, Northwest Education Services has been awarded a $25,000 grant to support its “5toONE Neighborhood Center Family Engagement” project. This initiative will focus on strengthening families within neighborhoods by fostering social connections, positive family relationships, and developmental growth. The funding will help sustain eight existing Neighborhood Centers and support expansion to two new community partner locations. The Neighborhood Center model and its utilization of the Strengthening Families and HOPE frameworks sets a strong foundation for building relationships. For more information about this project, contact Robin Hornkohl at rhornkohl@northwested.org.

East Jordan and Boyne City’s preschool program, Strong Beginnings, has been awarded a $2,000 grant for relationship building. This grant supports their project, “Strong Beginnings: Power of Nutrition Engagement Night,” which aims to model and teach skills for creating meaningful mealtimes at home. Family input is incorporated to guide the project and there is a focus on connecting families within the program. For more information about this project, contact Kendra Miller at kmiller@charemisd.org.

Benzie Public Schools has been awarded a $13,180 grant to support their project, “Lake Ann Elementary Family Relationship Building Plan,” which aims to improve relationships with families and increase engagement to foster student success. The project has a clear focus on increased options for family involvement and intentionality to removing barriers. For more information about this project, contact Sharyl Corey at coreys@benzieschools.net.

The Kingsley Branch Library has been awarded a $3,100 grant for relationship building to fund their project, “Hero’s Quest: A Percy Jackson Wellness Games for Kingsley,” which aims to strengthen family relationships and foster a sense of community belonging. There is strong collaboration with the school and other community partners. For more information about this project, contact Amy Monette at amonette@tadl.org.

Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan has been awarded a $20,000 grant to support their project, “Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan – Relationship Building,” which aims to place families at the center of planning and address students’ needs through collaborative support from educators, providers, and partners. There is a focus on high-impact engagement strategies and intentional relationship building. For more information about this project, contact Amy Burk at aburk@cisnwmi.org.

Northern Blooms Montessori has been awarded a $1,395 grant for relationship building. This grant supports their project, “Northern Blooms Community Center,” which aims to provide intentional opportunities for families to connect with each other and foster a sense of belonging within the community. There is strong collaboration with partner organizations. For more information about this project, contact Samantha Gauthier at samantha@northernblooms.co.

Compass After School Program: Petoskey United Methodist Church has been awarded a $2,000 grant for relationship building. This grant supports their project, “Compass Family Engagement Events,” which aims to provide intentional opportunities for families to strengthen relationships and foster a sense of belonging within the community. Both current and prospective families will be invited to participate. For more information about this project, contact Kelley Halverson at compass@petoskeyumc.org.

The Alliance for Economic Success, serving Wexford and Missaukee Counties, has been awarded a $10,500 grant for relationship building. This grant supports their project, “Building Stronger Communities Through Family Fun Events,” which aims to connect families with essential resources through relationship building. Family well-being is promoted through shared family experiences. For more information about this project, contact Niki Schultz at schul860@msu.edu.

Mesick Consolidated Schools has been awarded a $23,700 grant for literacy. This grant supports their project, “Family Literacy Plan,” which aims to foster family partnership in literacy development at the Floyd M Jewett Elementary. They demonstrated a comprehensive plan for parent support in the spring, reading materials with teacher follow-up throughout the summer, and a fall family celebration. For more information about this project, contact Elizabeth Kastl at kastle@mesick.org.

PoWeR! Book Bags has been awarded a $10,000 grant for literacy. This grant supports their project, “Little Literacy Learners at Early Head Start,” which aims to foster family partnership in early literacy development. The focus is on equipping parents with the skills to nurture their children’s literacy learning. For more information about this project, contact Kara Gregory at kara@powerbookbags.org.

Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan and Central Lake Early Opportunities were awarded a $3,888.14 literacy grant to support the “CLEO Literacy Project.” The project aims to improve parents’ understanding of early childhood literacy activities and at-home promotion of literacy. A key feature is the explicit modeling of literacy skills and opportunities for parents to demonstrate learned skills by leading playgroup segments. Contact Amy Burk at aburk@cisnwmi.org for more information.

East Jordan Public Schools has been awarded a $5,550 grant for literacy. This grant supports their project, “Putting Families First – Learning How to Love Literacy!” which aims to foster family partnership in early literacy development, emphasizing family-school connections and explicit literacy skills modeling. For more information about this project, contact Lindsay Rogers at lrogers@ejps.org.

Healing Private Wounds has been awarded a $3,500 grant for literacy to support their project “Healing Root’s Family Literacy Improvement.” This project empowers parents to promote early childhood literacy at home by enhancing their understanding of related activities and providing direct support in teaching their children. For more information about this project, reach out to Mary Campbell through their website at  www.healingprivatewounds.org .

Cadillac Area Public Schools has been awarded two grants from the MiFamily Engagement Center. A $8,413 grant for literacy will support their project, “Who is the Super Ultra Mega Special Super Special Guest,” which aims to foster family partnership in early literacy development. This project has a strong focus on families and schools as partners in education. A second grant of $31,675 will support their “Family Bridge” project, focused on relationship building. This project aims to leverage the collective responsibility of students, staff, parents, and the community to support each student’s full potential with a multifaceted approach, providing wrap-around services and intentionally building relationships. For both projects, contact Jaime Heuker at jaime.heuker@cadillacschools.org.