I Need Parent Resources
Link copiedFree help raising kids in Washtenaw County — food, preschool, diapers, and one number that connects it all.
Call Help Me Grow — one call connects your family.
The county's front door for kids under 5: free screenings, preschool, and family support. Texting works too: (734) 209-1099.
Start here
Kids under 5? Call or text Help Me Grow. One conversation connects you to screenings, preschool, home visits, and more.
Pregnant, new baby, or a child under 5? WIC gives free healthy food, formula, and nutrition help. Call for an appointment — working or not, moms, dads, and guardians can all apply.
Preschool is FREE. Every Michigan 4-year-old can go at no cost, and many 3-year-olds qualify too. One application covers both free programs — Head Start and GSRP (the Great Start Readiness Program).
Working or in school and child care costs too much? Michigan's child care scholarship can pay part or all of it. Apply at MI Bridges — and find licensed care with Great Start to Quality.
Need diapers? Hope Clinic's diaper pantry has free diapers, wipes, and formula once a month. Bring a picture of the child's birth certificate the first time.
A parent aged 12–25? Corner Health sees you AND your kids, whatever you can pay — plus free infant-care classes with a free car seat and portable crib if you need them.
Using these programs is good parenting. They exist so kids do well — nobody here judges you for asking.
Places that can help
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Help Me Grow Washtenaw
Call one number to connect your child (birth to age 5) with free screenings, preschool, and family support.
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WIC — Washtenaw County Health Department
Apply for free healthy food, formula, and nutrition help if you are pregnant, just had a baby, or have a child under 5.
Call first — most visits need an appointment. Satellite sites around the county too.
- 555 Towner St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
- washtenaw.org/1392/Women-Infants-Children-WIC
- Mon & Wed 9:30 am – 6 pm; Tue & Thu 8:30 am – 5 pm; Fri 8 am – 4:30 pm
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Free preschool — Head Start & GSRP
Apply once to get free preschool for your 3- or 4-year-old at sites across the county.
Application help by text: (734) 201-3308. Every child who turns 4 by Dec. 1 can go free.
More options (4)
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Hope Clinic — Diaper Pantry
Pick up free diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food once a month — no appointment needed.
Bring a picture of the child's birth certificate to your first visit.
- 518 Harriet St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
- thehopeclinic.org/get-food
- Wed 4:30 – 6:30 pm; Thu 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
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Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP)
Get free home visits from a nurse or social worker while you're pregnant and through your baby's first year.
For pregnant people and babies with Medicaid.
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Corner Health Center — young parents
Ages 12–25: get care for you and your kids, whatever you can pay — plus breastfeeding help, a parenting group, and a points store for diapers.
- 47 N Huron St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
- cornerhealth.org
- Mon 1 – 5 pm; Tue 9 am – 6 pm; Wed–Fri 9 am – 5 pm
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Catholic Charities Washtenaw — Healthy Families
Sign up for free home visits and parenting support if you're a first-time parent who could use a hand — from pregnancy until kindergarten.
We haven't double-checked this one yet — call ahead to confirm.
Open to people of all faiths. Also runs parenting classes and a grandparents-raising-grandchildren program. On Ann Arbor's west side, Peace Neighborhood Center also runs free parent workshops: (734) 662-3564.
- 4925 Packard St, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
- ccwcwashtenaw.org
- Mon–Fri 8:30 am – 4:30 pm; evenings by appointment
If that doesn't work
Dial 2-1-1 any time — they know every family program in the county.
Need food for the whole family today? One call finds a pantry or hot meal that's open right now.
Parenting on empty? 988 is for parents too — free, any hour.
Details change. Call ahead when you can. Last updated July 8, 2026.