'Blindsided' by budget cut, Michigan early childhood programs fight to survive

Child care scholarships have stalled, home visits will lessen after state budget cuts
Local Great Start Collaboratives work with families to connect them to early childhood resources
There is still funding for programs like free pre-kindergarten and support for babies and toddlers who have developmental delays

For years, parents of young children have been able to turn to regional programs called Great Start Collaboratives to help connect them with child development resources, child-care information and free books.

But now, a cut in the state budget is forcing some communities to close their programs or reduce services.

The state’s $24.12 billion education budget did not include $19.4 million that the state had previously allocated for intermediate school districts to operate Great Start Collaboratives and $4 million for book distribution efforts.

“In October we were completely blindsided by this,” said Robin Hornkohl, who coordinates Great Start efforts in Northwest Michigan. “This is infrastructure that’s been in place for nearly 20 years in our state.”

Hornkohl is Great Start Collaborative coordinator at Northwest Education Services, which works with families in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties.

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The group’s Great Start Collaborative still exists but no longer provides scholarships for students who are at risk of losing their child care spot because their families can’t afford the tuition.

The collaboratives don’t provide child care. They link parents to child care programs and also distribute children’s books to families. Even if a collaborative closes, Michigan families still have access to services like Early On, which provides support for infants to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities and early childhood special education.

But leaders worry that without the collaboratives connecting families to these resources, students will be less prepared to enter grade school.

“The concern is that these programs are going to be out there but families don’t know they exist,” said Matt Gillard, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children, a public policy group.

As of Monday, 54 collaboratives were listed on the state’s website. It’s unclear how many have shut their doors. Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate School District, ended its Great Start Collaborative services, which included home consultations with parents, in December.

Lacy Crummey, former director of the Wexford-Missaukee ISD, told Bridge she’s in the early stages of figuring out what future programming will be under a different grant administered by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Learning, Advancement, and Potential but “personal relationships aren’t going to be as deep as they were with home visits.”

Great Start Collaborative Kent County could be next. It announced Jan. 15 that it was ending services at the end of the month, blaming the state cuts. At least two other collaboratives, Allegan and Copper Country, have announced closings.

A woman and a child on a bus smiling as they look over a book. — Clinton County Great Start Collaborative used state funding to purchase books to be distributed through the local bus system and encourage parents to help their children with language skills. The state eliminated funding for these collaboratives and book distribution in the latest budget. (Courtesy of Clinton RESA)

In Clinton County, the collaborative is set to run through June. The group reduced its family liaison staffing from 1.66 full-time equivalent employees to one and will continue to distribute books through the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library with help from local school districts, said Christy Callahan, director of the office of innovative projects at Clinton County Regional Educational Service Agency.

Others are using general funds or private donations to keep their doors open with hopes that funding will be restored. Still, services are more limited than before.

In Calhoun County, the collaborative still exists, thanks to funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation, but will limit home visits outside of Battle Creek.

Susan Clark, director of early childhood services at Calhoun Intermediate School District, said these visits help families understand positive parenting and child development milestones. She is applying for grants to keep home visits happening in other parts of the county. Without them, she anticipates they will end in the coming months.

The loss of funding means “the framework of an early childhood system and connection for families has disappeared,” she said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made expanding access to no-cost pre-K for 4-year-olds a central part of her tenure.

There are about 51,000 students enrolled in the Great Start Readiness Program, the state’s free pre-K program. That’s a new enrollment high but still lower than the state’s overall goal to serve 75% of 4-year-olds with some form of publicly funded programs by 2027. Others include federally funded Head Start, developmental kindergarten and early childhood special education.

Gillard, a former lawmaker, called the recent cuts “shortsighted.”

Callahan, of Clinton County RESA, said she is worried the cuts will lead to less enrollment in Early On or special education pre-K and ultimately, children will be “less prepared for school.”

Political leaders weigh in

During budget talks, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Democratic-controlled Senate proposed continuing the funding while the GOP-led House recommended rolling the funds into per-pupil payments for intermediate school districts, according to analysis from the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency. Ultimately, leaders did not fund the program.

Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw, told Bridge he does not support restoring the funding.

“We don’t need to be getting into (the) cradle with government programs,” Kelly said.

Whitmer’s office referred a question about if she supported restoring the funding to the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP).

MiLEAP said in a statement that while funding was not included, “we continue to partner with Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) and early childhood stakeholders to strengthen coordination and improve outcomes for children across the state.”

MiLEAP referenced other budget items including $638.2 million for the state’s pre-K program for 4-year-olds, $18 million for pre-K transportation costs, $25 million for a pre-K program for 3-year-olds and $23.6 million for Early On services.

“Together, these investments reflect the state’s ongoing commitment to giving every Michigan child the strong start they deserve.”

Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown Township, told Bridge in a statement that he is proud the budget has record per-pupil funding and record funding for at-risk students and keeps universal school meals.

He said while money for Great Start Collaboratives “didn’t make it across the finish line, our commitment to giving Michigan’s students the resources they need to thrive hasn’t changed. My office will be advocating to restore that funding during upcoming negotiations.”

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