LANSING — Michigan education experts say investments in pre-K education benefit kids in and out of the classroom, as lawmakers debate whether to increase or cut funding to the Great Start Readiness Program.
More than half of Michigan’s four-year-olds are enrolled in the program, which expanded to families of all income levels this year.
“Children who’ve had this experience, they’re more ready for kindergarten, and they actually test better with literacy by third grade,” said Dr. John Severson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators. “Anywhere that we invest in early childhood education lays a strong foundation for that child’s entire life”
Dr. Yvonne Donohoe, director of early childhood for Northwest Education Services in Traverse City, says the program can also help with developing soft skills for kids just entering the school system.
“Opportunities to practice learning and working with peers and building friendships in the classroom — following teacher directions, things like that,” she said.
Educators also say that the initiative helps attract and keep families to areas with otherwise limited childcare availability.
“The opportunity for families to know that they’ll be able to place their children in care and be able to work and contribute in communities has been an essential piece of what GSRP is providing for the region,” Donohoe said.
Donohoe says her five-county district served more than 700 kids last school year, and is seeking to expand that figure by 125 students this year — but uncertainty in the state budget has put some of those plans on hold.
“We have families who are sitting on wait lists who are uncertain if they’ll be served in this upcoming year,” she said.
The district also was looking to launch a new for-profit childcare program, but the state budget situation has also put those plans on hold.
“We have families that are waiting on those wait lists, who are waiting on word from their local program to be able to accept them into programming, again, contingent on state funding,” Donohoe said. “So for us, you know, it’s over 800 kids that we’re sort of waiting on a word from the state.”
Budget plans from the governor and Senate propose increasing funding by more than $20 million, while the House proposal scraps that increase and cuts $40 million from the $620 million program.