Great Start Collaboratives across Michigan are facing closures or reduced services after the state budget did not include previously allocated money for the collaboratives and for book distribution efforts, according to reporting.
The funding gap comes as Michigan’s broader early childhood initiatives continue. The state’s $24.12 billion education budget did not include $19.4 million that had previously been allocated for intermediate school districts to operate Great Start Collaboratives and $4 million for book distribution efforts, the report said.
Robin Hornkohl, who coordinates Great Start efforts in Northwest Michigan, described the cut as unexpected. “In October we were completely blindsided by this,” Hornkohl said, adding, “This is infrastructure that’s been in place for nearly 20 years in our state.”
Hornkohl coordinates Great Start efforts at Northwest Education Services, working with families in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties. The Northwest Great Start Collaborative still exists, but it no longer provides scholarships for students who are at risk of losing their child-care spot because their families can’t afford tuition, the report said.
Great Start Collaboratives do not provide child care themselves. Instead, they connect parents with child-care programs and distribute children’s books to families. The report said that even if a collaborative closes, Michigan families can still access Early On, which provides support for infants to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities and early childhood special education. Still, leaders said the worry is that services will exist but families may not know they are available.
Matt Gillard, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children, said the concern is that families will not be aware of the resources. “The concern is that these programs are going to be out there but families don’t know they exist,” Gillard said.
As of Monday, 54 collaboratives were listed on the state’s website, though it was unclear how many had shut their doors, the report said. Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate School District ended its Great Start Collaborative services, including home consultations with parents, in December.
In addition to staffing and service reductions, at least some collaboratives have announced planned closures. Great Start Collaborative Kent County announced Jan. 15 that it would end services at the end of the month, blaming state cuts. The report also said Allegan and Copper Country have announced closings. In Clinton County, the collaborative was set to run through June; it reduced family liaison staffing from 1.66 full-time equivalent employees to one while continuing to distribute books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library with help from local school districts.
Other regions are attempting to fill gaps with alternative funding sources. In Calhoun County, the collaborative still exists thanks to funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation, but it will limit home visits outside of Battle Creek. Susan Clark, director of early childhood services at Calhoun Intermediate School District, said the home visits help families understand positive parenting and child development milestones. Clark said she is applying for grants to keep home visits happening in other parts of the county, but without those grants she anticipates they will end in the coming months. “the framework of an early childhood system and connection for families has disappeared,” Clark said.
The budget debate is playing out alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s push to expand no-cost pre-K for 4-year-olds. The Great Start Readiness Program has about 51,000 students enrolled, and the state’s longer-term goal is to serve 75% of 4-year-olds with some form of publicly funded programs by 2027. The report said other options include federally funded Head Start, developmental kindergarten and early childhood special education.
In budget negotiations, the report said Whitmer and the Democratic-controlled Senate proposed continuing the Great Start funding, while the GOP-led House recommended rolling the funds into per-pupil payments for intermediate school districts, based on 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, saying, “We don’t need to be getting into (the) cradle with government programs.” Whitmer’s office referred questions about whether she supported restoring the funding to MiLEAP, which 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 also said, “Together, these investments reflect the state’s ongoing commitment to giving every Michigan child the strong start they deserve.”
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. Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown Township, said 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, adding that Great Start Collaborative funding “didn’t make it across the finish line” and that his office will advocate to restore that funding during upcoming negotiations.