MARQUETTE -- Schools everywhere have seen education cuts because of financial reasons, and Pre-K programs are sometimes the first to go.

Studies say children who are below the poverty line and don't attend a Pre-K school are 18 months behind their peers, and many will never catch up.

"If we can get children ready and learning now, we're going to already give them the skills that they need, but we're also going to give them the love of learning that they need," said Vandenboom YMCA Director of Development Lori Smolinski.

The pre-school teachers at Vandenboom want their students to get a strong knowledge base, with a special focus on language development.

"This is the time they learn how to be in schools. They learn how to be a friend and get along with other children. They learn how to participate in a group, walk in a line, sit in a circle, take turns. Those are the skills they learn in preschool, in addition to the early academics, the early literacy, math skills that will make them successful kindergartners," Smolinksi added.

Starting next fall, the state is requiring that all kindergarten programs have class every day, as opposed to the current requirement of two-and-a-half days a week.

According to a Michigan teacher's survey, over 30 percent of kindergarten teachers were not satisfied with the level of their students' performance.

If programs are slashed, advocates are worried that children will be even more behind with the new demanding kindergarten schedule.

"The reason I'm concerned is they're the precursors to kindergarten and to development as they go up through the grades. What happens in preschools and with students before they enter kindergarten, of course, affects what they do in kindergarten," said MARESA Associate Superintendent of Special Education Services, Luanne Peterson.

There are grants available for parents who can't afford pre-school, and some other options that people take for their kids are home-schooling and extra parental involvement.

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