Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Vivian Tuller, 4, plays in a hammock with her mother Dana Tuller during a 5 to ONE playgroup, a Great Start Collaborative program, at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center on Friday morning.
MaisieGrace Downer, 4, and her 17 month-old sister Eilliana Downer play with their mother Megan Downer at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center.
Zane Tuller, 7, paints on an acrylic easel as his brother Daniel Tuller, 8, rinses paint from his hands during a 5 to ONE playgroup, a Great Start Collaborative program, at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center on Friday morning.
Vivian Tuller, 4, plays with Flynn Tuller, 7, during a 5 to ONE playgroup, a Great Start Collaborative program, at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center on Friday morning.
Vivian Tuller, 4, plays in a hammock with her mother Dana Tuller during a 5 to ONE playgroup, a Great Start Collaborative program, at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center on Friday morning.
MaisieGrace Downer, 4, and her 17 month-old sister Eilliana Downer play with their mother Megan Downer at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center.
Zane Tuller, 7, paints on an acrylic easel as his brother Daniel Tuller, 8, rinses paint from his hands during a 5 to ONE playgroup, a Great Start Collaborative program, at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center on Friday morning.
Vivian Tuller, 4, plays with Flynn Tuller, 7, during a 5 to ONE playgroup, a Great Start Collaborative program, at Lake Ann United Methodist Church Community Center on Friday morning.
TRAVERSE CITY — The 3- and 4-year-olds of Michigan — and the U.S. — better get ready for their closeup, because the spotlight is shining directly on them and their education.
What had been just another bullet point in a list of state school aid allocations from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the $32 million proposed increase to funding for one of Michigan’s free preschool programs is looking at a boost of more than 10 times that amount. That has early educators and early education advocates rejoicing.
Whitmer announced earlier this month a $405-million plan that would ensure all eligible 4-year-olds in Michigan would have access to the Great Start Readiness Program, a free state-funded preschool for lower-income families. GSRP serves more than 43,000 children every year, but data shows that covers just two-thirds of those who could benefit from the no-cost offering.
The additional $255 million in federal funding and $150 million in state funding would potentially provide education to 22,000 children from families that cannot afford tuition-based preschool. The money would be spent over the next three years with the federal dollars gradually being replaced with state dollars to make funding GSRP sustainable.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Biden Administration’s proposal for free universal preschool nationwide. As part of President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which was announced in late April, public preschool services would be expanded to include 3-year-olds as well as 4-year-olds and would be available at no cost to all families.
The plan, if implemented, could put more than five million children into preschool programs and save the average family $13,000 a year in childcare costs and preschool tuition.
Tracy Spincich, the 0-5 early childhood coordinator for Northwest Education Services, said she and others feel fortunate that the push for high-quality early childhood education is gaining momentum both across Michigan and in Washington, D.C.
“We’ve known for a long time that (early childhood education) is the biggest bang for our buck when you’re talking about return on investment,” Spincich said. “We know we continue to have many families with little ones who are trying to balance working while paying for childcare — and that’s no easy feat.”
The $32 million in Whitmer’s original budget proposal included boosting the per-pupil funding for GSRP by $1,025 to align with the lowest-funded K-12 districts at $8,275 per student. But the governor later upped her proposal by more than $660 million and increased the base per-pupil allocation by another $581.
The extra funds could allow districts to increase pay to preschool teachers and other early childhood educators, which would help attract and retain staff in a field that sees a high rate of turnover. The average pay for preschool teachers it’s $14.67, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California-Berkeley.
Dana Tuller has long championed both GSRP and Head Start, another free preschool program that caters to families with an annual income at or below the national poverty line of $26,500.
Tuller is the mother of five. Her oldest, who is almost 16, went to preschool through Head Start for two years. Her three middle children all attended GSRP, and her youngest is set to start GSRP this coming fall. That will mark five straight years of having one of her children in the program.
Without Head Start and GSRP, Tuller believes her children would have dealt with behavior issues as they progressed through school. Preschool provided a necessary stepping stone to the K-12 world, she said.
“I can’t even put a value on it. The teachers are amazing. The program is amazing. It gives the kids the social experience that they need before they go to kindergarten,” Tuller said. “There are some academics thrown in there, but a lot of it is the socialization.”
Spincich said the focus is on the whole child. Although most preschool-aged children are not developmentally ready to read, they build their literacy and language skills by singing songs, reciting the alphabet and learning what sounds letters make.
That learning is rooted in a play-based approach that builds social-emotional learning, which in turn leads to increased academic success in the future, Spincich said.
“If kids aren’t ready social-emotionally, then learning the other pieces doesn’t come easily,” Spincich said. “In preschool, there’s a big focus on building those social-emotional skills and helping kids figure out those pieces.”
Tuller sees that in her own children who have met others with different life experiences from their own. She said it enriched their lives.
“They’re seeing what it’s like to be a kid with a single dad or seeing what it’s like when their grandma takes care of them or they only speak Spanish,” she said. “That exposure, they wouldn’t see that if these programs didn’t exist. They might not even see that in a regular, paid preschool environment.”
As important as programs such as GSRP and Head Start are, there isn’t much consistency when it comes to those leading the classrooms.
The turnover rate is high among early educators — often because of the low pay and teachers not feeling valued by the outside world. Tuller said constant changes can really wear on a family and on a child that needs consistency.
“It seems like some families have to wonder if their kid is going to get a new teacher every other day,” Tuller said, adding that her son had three different lead teachers and four different assistant teachers just this past school year.
Combine turnover with an already dire teacher shortage in Michigan, some educators worry that no amount of money pumped into the preschool system will ensure all of the programs are adequately staffed with qualified teachers.
Traverse City Area Public Schools nearly cut its GSRP offering last summer. Most Great Start programs, because of the strict guidelines districts have to adhere by, are not moneymakers. The TCAPS decision to ax the program, before community donations and a partnership with North Ed saved it for another year, was an attempt to save the district $125,000.
TCAPS Superintendent John VanWagoner isn’t sure if his district will offer GSRP next school year. He is still waiting for concrete answers on funding before any decisions are made.
“We have some very important but very stringent rules from the state for childcare,” VanWagoner said. “Finding the professionals who meet that is already stretched for what we have. While we may have the funds and opportunities to do it, will we have the professionals to meet that?”
Paula Dixon is hopeful early childhood educators will rise to and meet the challenge. They have in the past.
Dixon, a GSRP teacher at Alba Public School, never planned on getting into the education profession. She worked mostly retail and office jobs until she took a position as a GSRP para professional when she was almost 40 years old.
“My first day was like the heavens opened and angels told me this is where I was supposed to be,” Dixon said. “I had always been afraid of being frustrated and heartbroken by children in difficult situations, and I was able to reframe that mentally and realize that I could make a difference (in their lives).”
Dixon is one of the few to have a prolonged stint in GSRP. More than a decade after taking the parapro position, Dixon is heading into her fourth year as a GSRP lead teacher.
Yet, Dixon understands the high turnover rate in her line of work. The low pay and disrespect some have for the difficulty of the job takes a toll.
“It’s not babysitting, playing all day or any of the other comments you might hear from someone who isn’t familiar with the actual requirements,” she said. “It’s demanding and sometimes stressful work. When you see that fast food workers are getting hired in your pay range, it’s very disheartening.”
The job requires a lot of patience — and caffeine and chocolate, Dixon said.
Some of Dixon’s students have never held a crayon or used a pair of scissors. Others need to be taught how to flush a toilet or wash their hands. Many have never been away from their family during the day, and some — because of COVID-19 — haven’t played or interacted with other children.
“I may not be teaching trigonometry or physics, but I am helping to form the brain development of young humans so that they can do trigonometry and physics. That will most likely affect their future in meaningful ways,” Dixon said.
The progress she sees in her students, that “sparkle in their eyes” is what keeps Dixon chugging along.
“I cry and babble about how much they’ve grown and how lucky I am to be their teacher. Every year,” Dixon said. “I love each and every child I’ve taught. My heart is full, but I will keep growing to make room for more.”
Dixon’s heart will have to grow pretty big as there is wider availability for GSRP and the possibility of universal preschool.
“I would love for (preschool) to be an option for any family — not just the wealthy,” Dixon said. “There are not enough options. In some cases there are no options, and that’s not OK.”
TRAVERSE CITY — A free preschool program that was nearly dead in the water a year ago now is back afloat.
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