What is universal pre-K? Whitmer proposes 'Pre-K for All' in Michigan
Arpan Lobo
In her annual State of the State address Wednesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a “Pre-K for All” plan for young children in Michigan. Educational advocacy groups say access to early education programs set children up for further educational success in the future.
What is universal pre-K?
Universal pre-K, or pre-kindergarten education, covers costs for 4-year-old children to attend a year of preschool.
Nine states and Washington D.C. currently offer universal or nearing-universal pre-K programs, according to a 2021 report from the Education Commission of the States, a nonpartisan policy think tank. Some cities also have universal pre-K programs.
How would Michigan's program work?
Michigan currently offers a financial assistance program for pre-k, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP). Right now it's available to families with incomes up to 250% of the federal poverty level, almost $70,000 for a four-person household. Under Whitmer’s "Pre-K for All" proposal, which would phase in over four years, families of all incomes would be eligible for the program.
Right now, local intermediate school districts receive funding to administer the program for children at risk of low educational attainment. For the 2022-23 fiscal year, over $390 million of funding was made available for the GSRP program through the state’s School Aid Budget, per state records.
What does it cost?
One of the plan's features is cost-savings for Michigan families; Whitmer's office says the plan will save people $10,000 a year on educational costs for preschool, while also allowing more children to enter preschool programs.
What's less clear is how much the program will cost state taxpayers. Whitmer's office did not offer an estimate ahead of the speech but said it would go through the legislative appropriation process.
How does ‘Pre-K for All’ become a reality in Michigan?
For Whitmer’s pre-K proposal to come to fruition, lawmakers in the Michigan Legislature will have to pass a plan through the House and Senate.
Given Democrats have majorities, albeit slim ones, in each chamber, if Democratic members fully back Whitmer’s plan, any opposition from Republican members would not be enough to block its passage. There has been bipartisan support for some form of expansion of the state’s pre-K programs in previous years, so it’s possible much of the debate over “Pre-K for All” boils down to specific details.
Staff writer Clara Hendrickson contributed to this article. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @arpanlobo.