Michigan program offers families free preschool

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Free preschool is becoming an increasingly popular option for Michigan families, especially as prices rise.

In the 2020-21 school year, the Great Start Readiness Program served 73 children through Marquette-Alger RESA. Last year that number jumped to 347.

This year, 322 students are already enrolled, with staff hoping to reach over 400 by the end of the year.

“Kids who start ahead stay ahead, and I think that’s really important,” said Whitney Schampers, MARESA’s Early Childhood Specialist. “What we find is those kids have a lot more skills going into kindergarten, so they’re more ready to learn.”

Statewide, nearly 53,000 Michigan families have applied to enroll their children in the program, a 15.7% increase from the same time last year.

“Michigan is ranked number one for our preschool programming because we do things like home visits, family conferences, and we involve families in the classroom. We have a lot of teachers with not a lot of kids because those are things that research says makes a difference for littles,” Schampers said.

The program is designed to give four-year-olds more than just head starts in the classroom.

Cammie Noeker, a PreK teacher at Head Start for Kent County explain

“Early literacy is so important, and it affects the children’s ability to read and to learn,” said Cammie Noeker, a PreK teacher at Head Start for Kent County.

As enrollment continues to grow, educators hope to give many more children a foundation before heading to kindergarten.

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