State budget cuts affect Ann Arbor area at-risk preschoolers
Two preschool programs for at-risk children in Washtenaw County are feeling the impact of budget cuts passed by lawmakers earlier this month.
The Michigan Department of Education on Tuesday released the list of
not-for-profit preschools that won't get funds in 2010 from the Great Start Readiness competitive grant program.
In Washtenaw County:
- Champions for Children, a program that operates out of Gretchen's House, lost all $149,600 it requested.
- HighScope Demonstration Preschool in Ypsilanti lost $27,200.
- Perry Nursery School will continue to receive all of its GSRP funding.
Washtenaw County Head Start also won't receive $68,000 in funding it requested, but the cuts won't hurt the budget because it was the program's first year applying for funding, Executive Director Pat Horne McGee said.
The cuts impacted about 24 children locally, and 2,200 children across the state.
Loisann Arnold, executive director of Champions for Children and teacher support coordinator for Gretchen's House, said all 16 children in the program were removed from their classrooms and placed in other programs in the area.
Several other centers, including Gretchen's House, took in the children without requiring full tuition, but the transition required many families to rearrange work schedules. It was also hard on the children, Arnold said.
"It was really hard for the children who had come together as a classroom, helping them understand they weren't going to be with their friends and teacher anymore, and helping them see that it wasn't anything they had done wrong," Arnold said. "And these are at-risk children to begin with, who often have difficulties with transitions."
Arnold said they'll apply for funding again next year.
Beth Marshall, director of HighScope Demonstration Preschool, said the $27,200 loss will impact eight children — half of their students. Marshall said they're currently making plans to help those families.
Jen Eyer is on the Community Team at AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at 734-623-2577 or jeneyer@annarbor.com, or you can visit her at 301 East Liberty.
Comments
snapshot
Fri, Oct 30, 2009 : 11:49 p.m.
So much for no child left behind.
Janelle Baranowski
Wed, Oct 28, 2009 : 3:07 p.m.
Was there no reason given to the schools on why there grants were turned down? If it's a competitive grant program, you would think they would give an explanation so the schools can address the issues affecting their funding. - www.some-other-viewpoint.blogspot.com
treetowncartel
Wed, Oct 28, 2009 : 2:13 p.m.
IF the state agencey responsible for daycare payments policed the providers better, weeding out the fraud, there would be enough money to fill this void.
uawisok
Wed, Oct 28, 2009 : 1:06 p.m.
Typical short sighted step over dollars and pick up pennies mentallity. As Ben Franklin stated, " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" The conservatives and their "no more taxes, reduce goverment" mantra will hasten our decline as a society....Our race to the bottom continues!!