• So what is the Great Start Child Care Quality Project?

  Following the announcement of the Great Start Child Care Quality Project on Dec. 8, Karen Roback, a Specialist for Early Care with the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, answered a few questions about the project. Click Here to Read More.

• Learning to love: Genesee County's "baby court" helping children, parents

  Genesee County's "baby court" removes children from homes when necessary, but it also helps parents learn how to be better parents. ABC 12 did a great job telling the story of one such parent. Click Here to Read More.

• Public pressure persuades school board to spare preschool

  ALPENA - The Alpena school board Monday night spared preschool from budget cuts, despite trimming $549,000 from the overall school budget, according to The Alpena News.Public attendance and input at the meeting seem to have been key in that decision.Click Here to Read More.

• NYT columnist backs early childhood

  New York Times Op-Ed Columnist David Brooks was the keynote speaker a few months back for the Ounce of Prevention Fund. As the Ounce of Prevention channel on YouTube puts it: "He shared his insights on early education and the wisdom of human capital policies." Click Here to Read More.
  
   

Media coverage explodes over legislative cuts to Great Start preschool system, Oct. 27-Nov. 2
Deep cuts remove thousands of disadvantaged children from classroom

Detroit Free Press, A-1 news, Oct. 28: "Preschools, parents forced to adjust amid cuts"

• Excerpt: The state's fiscal crisis is striking some of its most vulnerable residents -- 4-year-olds whose private, nonprofit preschool programs are losing state funding. A 50% cut in grants, part of the school aid budget that became official last week, means more than 20 programs won't get their funding renewed and 2,000 slots will be lost. Also, just as many new programs won't get funded at all.
• http://www.freep.com/article/20091028/NEWS05/910280367/1320/Preschools--parents-forced-to-adjust-admid-cuts

Kalamazoo Gazette, news, Oct. 29: "Funding casualties: Preschool for 2,200 children statewide loses support"

• Excerpt: Four-year-old Jada Davis was suppose to be in a well-regarded, full-day, state-funded preschool program this fall that would give her the skills she needs to succeed in kindergarten next year. But in August, Jada's class at the Learning Village was put on hold because of Michigan's fiscal crisis. Last week, the Learning Village learned it was among 21 preschools statewide that will not be funded this year through the Michigan Great Start Readiness Program, a casualty of an $8.2 million budget cut to preschools sponsored by nonprofits rather than school districts. The cut eliminates preschool for 2,200 children statewide, including 36 children who were to attend the Learning Village in Kalamazoo, the only nonprofit in the area that participated in the readiness program. Jada "was all excited about school — and now, nothing," said Jamie Summers, Jada's mother.
• http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/10/funding_casualties_preschool_f.html

Holland Sentinel, news, Oct. 29: "At-risk kids lose preschools; State funding cuts shut Great Start programs

• Excerpt:  Sonya Barlow already had two children go through Gateway's preschool program, and planned to send her youngest, Jesse, when he turns 4.
  In the wake of state funding cuts for preschool programs for at-risk or lower-income children, Gateway and other preschools are closing, stalling the education of an estimated 250 Holland-area 4-year-olds. "I was very disappointed to hear they took that funding away," Barlow said. "(Gateway) sets them up for kindergarten. I think it prepares them for interacting with children."
• http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1914250827/At-risk-kids-lose-preschools

Petoskey News Review, news, Oct. 30: State slashes preschool funding: Local programs cut

• Excerpt: Standing in the empty classroom of what was supposed to be Project Free, Jan Mancinelli, executive director of the Women's Resource Center, reflects on what could have been. The resource center's preschool program was scheduled to begin Oct. 5 for 36 children, but with the state cutting its Great Start Readiness Program funding by 50 percent ($15 million in grants to $7.5 million), the future of nonprofit preschools across the state looks bleak."There's pictures of all these kids that were supposed to start, and it's sad to see their faces posted on the wall," Mancinelli said. "They're not going to be able to experience this."
• http://www.petoskeynews.com/news/article_54ad43f2-c563-11de-a12d-001cc4c03286.html 

The Oakland Press, news, Oct. 30: Great Start grant reduction threatens preschool education

• Excerpt: The three programs in Oakland County that applied — Oakland University, Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency and Oakland Family Services — all received funding but, because of new legislation, programs run by school districts may no longer be safe in Oakland County or elsewhere. "The issue for Oakland County, which is written into the language of the school aid budget, is that superintendents and school boards can tap pre-K money if they choose," said Andrew Heller of Early Childhood Investment Corp. "That's a big threat to preschools in the state. Hopefully, most won't because they know the value of preschool and other early childhood programs."
• http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2009/10/31/life/doc4aec1e721d945298365141.txt

Lansing State Journal, opinion, Oct. 28: "By refusing to pay now, we'll pay later"

• Excerpt: These studies and more are all available to our Michigan legislators. Yet they have chosen to abandon early childhood education funding at a most critical period in our state's history, and a critical period in young lives.The loss of funding will decimate the ranks of trained child care professionals who will look elsewhere for careers, effectively dismantling an early education system in Michigan that was, pardon the pun, in its infancy. It will take decades to jump-start this system if funding is ever restored. I guess our legislators would rather that you and I pay a lot more later. We will. Get ready, Michigan, to pay dearly for more prisons, higher insurance rates and more programs to support struggling families and individuals.
• http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20091028/OPINION02/910280307/1087/OPINION02 

Saginaw News, news, Oct. 27: "Saginaw ISD, Bay Area YMCA, North Midland Family Center face major cuts to preschool with state funding reductions"

• Excerpt: The leader of the Saginaw Intermediate School District preschool program fears "devastating" choices as the state prepares to cut more than $600,000 out of the program's budget. The cuts arrive as the need has increased with joblessness and poverty rates on the rise, he said.  The program, which serves 1,200 students in 19 classrooms, serves low-income and academically at-risk children.
• http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/10/saginaw_isd_faces_major_cuts_t.html 

Grand Rapids Press, news, Oct. 27: "Comstock Park schools OK cuts that could include 13 jobs"

• Excerpt: The Comstock Park school board Monday night approved program and staffing reductions to help the district weather a projected $1.1 million shortfall for this school year. Up to 13 full- and part-time teachers and support staff could be laid off with the measures. "I never imagined in a million years that we'd be at this point, but we are today," board President Ted Spangenberg said.
• http://www.mlive.com/news/grandrapids/index.ssf/2009/10/comstock_park_schools_ok_cuts.html 

Metro Times, opinion, Oct. 28: "Make them fix it"

• Excerpt: Thanks to inflation, we've given the beer industry an 83 percent tax cut since then. Our leaders can slash funding for early childhood development but not stand up to the alcohol lobby. If we don't do something soon, we're going over the cliff.
• http://www.metrotimes.com/news/story.asp?id=14505 

WILX, Lansing, news, Oct. 28: "Budget Shuts Down Pre-School Programs"

• Excerpt: Some of our state's most at-risk four-year-olds, whose only way to go to pre-school was through a free state-funded program, may have to give up that schooling. That means nearly 300 children in Ingham County can no longer go to the pre-school program they either were planning on attending or were already attending this year. Nicholson says the state's school aid budget slashed funding for the "Great Start Readiness Program." Now some at-risk or low-income families have to quickly find somewhere else to put their kids.
• http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/66614322.html

Washtenaw Education News Examiner, news, Oct. 27:  "Washtenaw Education News Examiner. State and local funding debates heat up"

• Excerpt: On the early childhood education front,a study from the Pew Center on the States (a division of the Pew Charitable Trusts) found that most states are protecting funding for pre-kindergarten programs despite budget problems across the nation. However, Michigan is one of a handful of states that has significantly decreased funding for early childhood programs.
• http://www.examiner.com/x-16903-Washtenaw-Education-News-Examiner~y2009m10d27-State-and-local-school-funding-debates-heat-u 

MIRS, news, Oct. 28: "21 Preschool Programs Losing Funding From Cuts"

• No link available

Ludington Daily News, news, Oct. 27: "Victory Head Start program to remain open"

• Excerpt: Scottville four-year-olds will still be able to attend preschool for no cost under the Great Start Readiness Program. Mason County Central Schools, after almost closing the Great Start Readiness program a couple weeks earlier, passed a resolution to participate in the program with up to 54 children at $3,400 per child Monday night. Director Angie Hood attended the meeting and asked board members to approve the agreement, stating she was proud to report the program would be around for another year. "Parents and grandparents have really been advocating for the program," said Hood.
• http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news.php?story_id=46351

The Daily Reporter, Coldwater, news, Oct. 30: "Great Start School Readiness program ends due to lack of funding"

• Excerpt: The Great Start School Readiness program ended Thursday after the Branch Intermediate School District (BISD) board eliminated the jobs of two teachers, two teacher assistants, a secretary and a bus monitor, following legislative action that cut all funds for the program. Hillary Eley. a parent of aGreat Start student, said it was a shame the BISD did not use the economicproblems to look at other creative solutions to fund Great Start, such astuition, community scholarships, business contributions and/or private partnerships.
• http://www.thedailyreporter.com/news/x884495539/Great-Start-School-Readiness-program-ends-due-to-lack-of-funding 

 WMMT, Grand Rapids, news, Oct. 30: "Funding cuts hit West Michigan preschools"

• Excerpt: With Michigan's budget problems continuing, one of the most controversial, and for many people, most alarming aspect of the budget dilemma are the pending cuts to school aid. Three West Michigan programs are losing funding altogether. Kalamazoo County's Learning Village, the East Main location, Branch County ISD, and The Boys and Girls Club of Holland, which funding the Gateway Preschool in Holland. Now, families are dealing with the bad news.
• http://www.wwmt.com/articles/michigan-1368743-west-margin.html