Michigan touts 'free pre-K for all.' It's more complicated than that

• Michigan expanded its free preschool program this year, and state officials expect enrollment to increase by over 16,000 students
• But state data estimates Michigan is home to roughly 118,000 4-year-olds, meaning not every child will get a spot in the program
• Michigan intermediate school districts are requesting to care for just over 57,000 kids in the program this year

LANSING — Michigan is aiming to enroll another 16,000 children in free preschool this coming year, but growing pains and enrollment challenges mean the state’s publicly-funded program will likely remain far from universal despite an ongoing push by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

The $23.4 billion education budget Whitmer signed last month included enough money to enroll 58,686 children in the state's Great Start Readiness Program, which the governor touted at the time as an expansion of "access to free pre-K for every 4-year-old."

But those potential enrollment figures reflect less than half of the 118,000 4-year-olds actually living in the state, and are far short of the 70% enrollment figure that constitutes a truly "universal" program, according to criteria from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

With new funding set to flow, Michigan providers say they are working to expand free preschool programs by opening new classrooms and converting some tuition-based programs, among other things. But they acknowledge it’s a work in progress. 

“It’s limited pre-K for all," Laura Griswold, a Great Start Readiness Program coordinator at Gretchen’s House in Ann Arbor, told Bridge Michigan.

"The infrastructure is not there right now for there to be enough slots for people who would want it,” she added.

Related:

• Michigan’s $23B education deal: Free community college for all, pre-K for many
• Tiny Bois Blanc hires long-term substitute teacher for one-room schoolhouse
• One year later, Michigan starts helping teachers repay student loans

So far, Michigan intermediate school districts that distribute funds to local schools and childcare facilities have requested authorization to provide free preschool to 57,119 children this year, which would be a sizable jump from the 41,120 served last school year. 

That nearly 40% increase would be “really great progress, even though the work is not done,” said Emily Laidlaw, deputy director of early childhood education with the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.

The department is aiming to enroll 88,500 students in publicly funded preschools by 2027 in order to match the highest performing states.

The new budget expands access to free preschool to families at or below 400% of the federal poverty line. Using 2024 federal poverty numbers, a family of four with an income of up to $124,800 could qualify.

That means most of Michigan’s 4-year-olds should qualify, according to recent federal census data, which estimates the median household income for married-couple families hovers around $102,000.

And if lower-income students don’t fill all available slots in the free preschool program, the new state budget allows students from higher-income families to qualify as well.

Whitmer had wanted more money in the new state budget, seeking $106 million in new funding to expand the free preschool program. But fellow Democrats in the Legislature ultimately approved a smaller $85 million.

That meant funding for about 1,800 fewer students, according to an analysis from the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency.

Still, Whitmer's office has touted the final budget deal as providing "access to free pre-K for all."

Whitmer spokesperson Stacey LaRouche declined to explain that claim but told Bridge that Whitmer "is committed to ensuring every kid has access to free, high-quality education beginning with pre-K so they have a solid academic foundation and arrive at kindergarten better prepared to learn."

The administration will “continue working with anyone, including schools, families, and providers,” LaRouche added, “so more kids enroll in pre-K and have access to a bright future," she said in a statement.

Funding up, but enrollment lags

While Whitmer has worked with the Legislature to expand funding for the free preschool program, enrollment has not kept up.

Last year, 41,120 children were served despite the state providing funding for 53,363 children, according to numbers provided by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential. 

Even less enrolled in the 2023-24 school year, when the state provided funding for 48,100 children but only saw 38,140 students enrolled.

Officials attribute the slow uptake to unique needs of families and other challenges the state is working to address: including five-day classes and busing that make preschool a more realistic option for families who may otherwise keep their 4-year-olds home, in a daycare or at a paid school. 

Some conservatives have questioned the wisdom of lifting income caps for free preschool, calling Whitmer's push an unnecessary "giveaway for higher-income families" at the expense of all taxpayers.

But supporters contend universal preschool may be "the best investment" in children the government can make because it allows students to get a jumpstart on critical early learning. 

The state has argued that lifting income caps "dispels any perceived stigma" attached to enrollment and makes it easier to market to parents.

A universal program "allows local leaders to leverage clear messaging to recruit families, removes complicated application processes and barriers to enrollment," the lifelong education department said in a recent policy report.

In the budget signed last month, Michigan lawmakers said it is their “intent” to “support universal Great Start Readiness Programs in a future fiscal year.”

But that’s far from a guarantee. Democrats who approved the budget currently hold a narrow two-seat majority in the state House, where all 110 seats are on the ballot in November.

At least 16 other states claim to have universal free preschool programs but experts at the National Institute for Early Education Research only consider a program universal if at least 70% of 4-year-olds in that state are actually enrolled.

As of 2020, only four states — Florida, Oklahoma, Vermont and Wisconsin — have met that mark. Michigan has a ways to go, with just shy of 50% of Michigan 4-year-olds expected to participate in the free preschool program this year.

Providers gear up

Across the state, providers who spoke with Bridge said they are working to expand capacity for more free preschool students by opening news classrooms and, in some cases, converting tuition-based programs. 

But officials on the ground acknowledge they are not yet prepared to offer tuition-free preschool to all 4-year-olds. 

“That's our hope — that eventually we'll be able to offer this to all children in Kent County,” said Ashley Karsten, director of early childhood for Kent ISD in west Michigan. 

“We know we have a lot of work to do, but I think it starts with working with all of our providers around the county and helping them meet all the requirements to be a GSRP partner.” 

In Oakland County, there will be 100 new classrooms this year to serve up to 6,418 children in the free preschool program, according to Oakland Schools early childhood director Dawn Koger. 

“I feel like the gap between what we ask for and what we fill is going to continue to shrink as we more effectively message that GSRP means free pre-K for all 4-year-olds,” Koger told Bridge. 

Koger said she is confident that the neediest children will still have a free preschool spot. 

But in Ann Arbor, where Gretchen’s House is preparing to open enrollment to higher-income families next month, Griswold said she is worried some low-income families may “miss the boat and not be able to have care.”

In Mount Pleasant, Connie Marshall, owner and director of The Little Red Wagon Daycare childcare facility, said she’s using a state grant to help convert her tuition-based preschool program to the free state program.

She did so because of competition, she said, noting that parents aware of the state’s free preschool program were often sending their kids to no-cost options instead. She said she is looking forward to the additional supports from the state program including access to an early childhood specialist.

Sherria VanSparrentak, executive director for Kalamazoo County Ready 4s, which works with preschool providers across the county, said community-based providers will suffer enrollment declines if they “don’t hop on board with a state or federally-funded” program. 

In Kent County, the intermediate school district is increasingly partnering with local childcare facilities as it looks to fill 3,600 free preschool slots funded through the Great Start Readiness Program.

“It's a priority to us to offer parents choices,” said Karsten, the director of early childhood for Kent ISD.

In Grand Haven, the YMCA-operated Learning Tree Preschool expects to triple their enrollment from prior years.

Classroom sizes had, year over year, been traditionally between 16 and 18 children, said Meredith Long, director of operations for the Tri-Cities Family YMCA. That increased to just under 40 in the second half of last school year. 

This year, Long said they’ve requested funding for 60 seats for their half-day pre-K program “and we anticipate being able to fill all of them.” While “everyone is eligible” for the program, she emphasized that “families with the greatest need get enrolled first.” 

“I think we can continue to expand the program, now that we can serve families above that (income) threshold,” Long said. “After we have prioritized those at the threshold, my hope is … we continue expanding our infrastructure so that every 4-year-old can be served.”