Early Childhood
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s accelerated plan to offer free preschool to all 4-year-olds in Michigan requires more teachers. Nonprofits plan to help bring more educators to the profession.
State payments on retirement debt freed up $670 million that is helping fund many of Whitmer’s education initiatives.
The report cites key health indicators for parents and children, as well as policy changes. But the state still lags the national average in some areas.
Providers said Michigan’s economy can’t recover from the pandemic if the state’s system for providing care for children while their parents are at work isn’t healthy.
A return to pre-pandemic funding policy led some providers to shutter newly opened GSRP classrooms, complicating Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plans.
Teachers like Gipson — experienced, committed to working with 4-year-olds, and bilingual to boot — are in short supply in Michigan preschools.
Early educators will be watching closely for details in Whitmer’s preschool proposal in a budget presentation next week.
State funded preschool program struggles to compete for workers as private-sector wages rise
Duggan administration shelves a planned $6 million investment in child care infrastructure for other priorities
A new initiative pairs prospective child care providers with a staffer from the state licensing agency who helps with paperwork and inspections.
New funding helps with pay, but providers worry that it won’t last
Here are eight ideas parents, providers, and lawmakers have for improving Michigan’s child care system
MuckRock and a consortium of newsrooms collected years of investigative reports by Michigan’s child care licensing bureau to detail the crisis facing the system
The scramble for Montessori seats is in some senses a welcome sign for the Detroit Public Schools Community District
The package contains minor procedural fixes and major changes in how the state supports small, home-based providers.
Even as Michigan’s state revenues reach record highs, officials appear poised to let the program expire.
Skeptics worry Duggan’s plan could add complexity to an already confusing system
The state plans to invest in child care buildings, educator training, and startup grants.
Staff shortages are overwhelming the system. One center has 258 families on a waiting list.
Michigan has a financial cushion thanks to federal stimulus funds and stronger-than-expected state revenues. But education spending is a sticking point.