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Local children need school readiness programs - state lawmakers should reconsider cuts
By Chuck Brooks
Parents in the Bay Area and throughout the state should be up in arms about the Michigan Senate's plan to eradicate $103 million for pre-kindergarten programs that serve 30,471 Michigan children.
As someone who has watched local children thrive and grow in the Bay Area Family Y's Great Start Readiness Program, I know how important these pre-kindergarten programs are. Vast amounts of research show that children who start school with social and intellectual deficits rarely catch up to their peers. By funding quality school readiness programs, the state helps ensure that Michigan taxpayers avoid future costs associated with citizens who don't have the necessary skills to succeed in life and at work.
There are long-term economic consequences for failing to prepare all children for school, and Michigan simply cannot afford to miss the boat on this crucial mission. The 21st century global economy requires it.
Unfortunately, despite a raft of evidence on their value, the state Senate has decided to cut hundreds of millions from early childhood programs. I commend Sen. Jim Barcia for stepping out and voting against these measures. The cuts have been so severe that some are questioning whether Michigan is balancing its budget on the backs of its children.
Rep. Jeff Mayes and the Michigan House initially approved a bill that maintained the funding for these programs. Now that the budget bill is before a joint conference committee, members of the Michigan House and Senate should reconsider the Senate's deep cuts and restore funding for these vital early childhood programs, including school readiness.
More than 140 Bay Area children enrolled in our Great Start Readiness Program would be hurt by the cuts. These children are at risk of becoming educationally disadvantaged by failing in school and not achieving self-sufficiency in adulthood. The Y's program provides enriching experiences to help children grow intellectually, socially, physically and emotionally.
State budget cuts do need to be made. But we have to make sure the cuts do not directly undercut our efforts to build the next generation of competent citizens and workers - which is precisely what cutting school readiness funding would do.
We pretty much know by the time children reach age 5 whether or not they will succeed in school. We also know that quality preschool programs help make sure children start school ready to learn. Failure to act on what we know, especially when the future of our children is on the line, would be unconscionable.
As Bay Area lawmakers consider the inevitable budget cuts facing Michigan, I hope they will keep the future of this great state, including Bay Area children, in mind.
Recent polling shows 75 percent of Michigan voters say it is personally important to them to protect early childhood programs from funding cuts, and 54 percent say they would be inclined to vote for lawmakers who favored maintaining funding for those programs.
Funding for school readiness and other early childhood programs should be restored. Our children deserve no less.
(Chuck Brooks is executive director and CEO of the Bay Area Family Y in Bay City.)
Chuck Brooks
Executive Director/CEO
Bay Area Family Y
111 N. Madison Avenue
Bay City, Michigan 48708
cbrooks@ymcabaycity.org
Phone - 989-895-8596
Fax - 989-895-0544
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