“I fell in love with these kiddos.”

One-third of Michigan four-year-olds who are eligible for free, high-quality preschool can’t access it because of lack of funding. United Way of Southwest Michigan and its advocates are asking state legislators to support the proposal to put those 22,000 left-out kids into the Great Start Readiness Program.

Ashley Neff had been teaching at a private preschool in Niles for seven years, but after substituting in a Great Start Readiness Program class in February 2019, there was no going back. “I fell in love with these kiddos,” she said. She was offered a full-time, lead teaching position with the Great Start Readiness Program that fall, and she jumped at the opportunity.

“They’re average kids—happy to be at school, to be a big kid, to eat meals at school, excited to recognize numbers,” Neff said of her students. Like every other four-year-old, “they’re little sponges,” she said. “There are so many ah-ha moments.”

But a lot of them need extra attention, she explained, and being there for them is the best—and perhaps most important—part of her job. “Yes, academics are important, but some just need a place where they can feel safe,” she said. Like one little girl, who only felt comfortable sleeping under Neff’s chair.

In case that girl ended up in foster care, Neff and her husband got all the paperwork completed to become foster parents for her—or any other student. “We wanted to be prepared to open our home to kids that need a place,” she said. Their home being a hobby farm—with goats and lambs—in Niles. Neff’s children—a 13-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son—love the idea of welcoming foster kids into their family.

Her Great Start Readiness Program classroom—housed in a Niles Community Schools building—is the only free preschool in the area. “A lot of kids just don’t go,” she said, “and you can tell in kindergarten which kids went to preschool and which kids didn’t—academically and socially—if that’s their first experience away from mom and dad.”

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” said Ashley Neff. Neff grew up in Niles and earned an associate’s degree in early childhood development and learning at Lake Michigan College and a bachelor’s degree in the same at Central Michigan University. It was Neff’s own preschool teacher—who also taught Neff’s children—who, just before retiring, encouraged Neff to follow in her footsteps.

Expand access to all

Education researchers have long confirmed that children who are able to attend preschool through the Great Start Readiness Program in classrooms like Neff’s show significant positive developmental differences when compared to children from the same backgrounds who did not attend a high-quality preschool program. But only two-thirds of Michigan children who are eligible for the program have access to it. 

The Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is Michigan's state-funded preschool program for four-year-old children with factors that may place them at educational risk. The program is administered by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Great Start. Funding is allocated to each intermediate school district to administer the program locally.

Michigan has a strong history of providing high-quality, state-funded preschool to the state's most vulnerable children through the Great Start Readiness Program. Since 1985, the Michigan Department of Education has worked closely with providers across the state to ensure Michigan offers a high-quality learning experience to all children participating in the GSRP. 

In June 2021, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer proposed expanding funding for the GSRP so that the remaining third of left-out children can get access to the program, putting 22,000 more Michigan four-year-olds into free, high-quality preschool. The proposal calls for $32.2 million in additional funding for the GSRP in the proposed 2022 state budget—as part of a $405 million expansion in the next three years ($255 million in federal dollars and $150 million in state dollars). It relies on federal stimulus money to get started, but the plan provides for replacing federal money with state money after three years to keep the program going. The goal is to open new GSRP classrooms for students who are currently waiting for spots.

“We have a unique opportunity right now to make the type of investments in early education and preschool that will pay massive dividends by improving health, educational, and social outcomes for our children decades down the line,” Whitmer said in a news release. Her proposal "will help narrow the achievement gap between high-income and low-income students. As we put Michigan back to work, parents can go about their work day knowing that their children are learning in a safe and productive environment.”

The proposal will require approval from state legislators as they negotiate how to spend $1.4 billion dollars in federal aid for early childhood education. There is an enormous surplus in the state budget thanks to federal pandemic relief and a healthier-than-expected economy.

The program is free to families making less than 250% of the federal poverty line, or $66,250 for a family of four. It provides full- or part-day services.

Long-term investment

“I can’t say enough good things about this program,” said Douglas Mitchell of Niles, whose high-energy son Nolan is in Neff’s GSRP class. He and his wife work full-time, and “this can be complicated to manage” with kids, he said. “The GSRP has been so amazing with him. The teachers work really hard to give each child what they need individually, and this has helped Nolan so much. He loves going to school every day, and is sad on Fridays when he realizes he doesn’t get to go back for a few days. Ms. Neff is amazing at communicating with the parents and even helps them develop better parenting skills and helps get extra resources that the family needs.”

Another parent, Erica Mitchell—no relation to Douglas—echoes his sentiments. Her daughter, Payton, was in a private Montessori preschool, but when the pandemic hit, the family experienced significant hardship. Thanks to the GSRP, Payton was able to continue preschool. “Ashley went above and beyond to get the resources we needed,” she said. “When we seemed to hit a dead end, she found another way.”  Mitchell says she’s so thankful that the GSRP is there to help families in tough situations.  

Neff is grateful for the GSRP too—that she found such a meaningful niche for her lifelong calling.

“I always wanted to be a teacher,” she said. Neff grew up in Niles and earned an associate’s degree in early childhood development and learning at Lake Michigan College and a bachelor’s degree in the same at Central Michigan University. It was Neff’s own preschool teacher—who also taught Neff’s children—who, just before retiring, encouraged Neff to follow in her footsteps.

The positive ripple effect continues on: “What these kids experience in preschool, it’s not just for the year they’re with us,” Neff said. “It sets a foundation for the rest of their schooling and follows them for the rest of their lives.” Neff’s own life is a testament to that.

NEWS FLASH

Success Story Follow-up

ANOTHER ADVOCACY SUCCESS! Since we published this story, the school aid budget passed the Michigan House and Senate that includes expanded funding for the GSRP. Thank you to all who helped bring this effort to fruition.

Education researchers have long confirmed that children who are able to attend preschool through the Great Start Readiness Program in classrooms like Ashley Neff’s show significant positive developmental differences when compared to children from the same backgrounds who did not attend a high-quality preschool program.

UWSM supports expanded state funding for Great Start Readiness Program

All four-year-olds in Southwest Michigan deserve a great start in life. United Way of Southwest Michigan advocates for setting them up for later success.

United Way’s 2021 Advocacy Agenda is focused on creating systems that help working people thrive, with a particular emphasis on Southwest Michigan’s ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). The ALICE population—whose incomes are above the Federal Poverty Level but below the basic cost of living—makes up about 37% of households in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. These families are working hard but still struggling to afford necessities. Additionally, United Way addresses inequities in education and economic opportunity that disproportionately affect those living below the ALICE threshold as well as other marginalized communities. Many families struggling to make ends meet come from historically under-resourced, underserved, marginalized communities, including people of color and people experiencing poverty.

One of United Way’s advocacy agenda items is: Ensure more children have access to high-quality preschool programs that prepare them for kindergarten. 

How can we accomplish this? 

• Increase the per-pupil allocation for the Great Start Readiness Program in the state budget. 

Why is this important in Southwest Michigan?

• Children living in households below the ALICE threshold experience factors which may place them at risk of educational failure at a higher rate than children in more financially stable households. These children need access to low-cost, high-quality preschool opportunities like the Great Start Readiness Program to reduce this disparity.

• 51.2% of children 3 and 4 years of age in Berrien County are not enrolled in any preschool programming. 63.2% in Van Buren County are not enrolled and 68.5% in Cass County are not enrolled. 

• Many organizations that provide GSRP programs are near a tipping point because there are not sufficient funds to run them. Per-child payments have remained stagnant since 2015, making it increasingly difficult for GSRP classrooms to remain open and provide the required high-quality experiences that have been shown to improve school readiness. 

Ashley Neff and her husband got all the paperwork completed to become foster parents in case a student ends up in foster care. “We wanted to be prepared to open our home to kids that need a place,” she said. Their home being a hobby farm—with goats and lambs—in Niles.

Photos by Ashley Tenter