Attribution

Erin Eaton obtained her Bachelors degree from Eastern Michigan, her Masters degree from
Marygrove College, and is pursuing an Ed. S. degree in Administration from Central Michigan
University. She has been a public school teacher for 13 years in Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Education reports a staggering 59 percent of Michigan 4th

graders are not literacy proficient according to the 2016 MSTEP results. Michigan is the 41st
ranked state in student reading proficiency by the end of third grade, and is only one of five
states that have shown a decline in proficiency over the last ten years as measured by the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2015.
Did you realize reaching literacy proficiency by the end of 3rd grade is a critical
milestone? The Campaign for Grade Level Reading estimates that 74 percent of students who
are not proficient readers by the end of third grade will not graduate high school on time or even
at all.
The State of Michigan is responsible for not intervening early on and ensuring students
reach this critical milestone by not allocating available funds to properly intervene before it is
too late, and by creating policies with the lack of educator input that dont hone in on what
students need to reach reading proficiency by grade 3.
It is my firm belief that in order to ensure literacy proficiency by grade 3, the state of
Michigan needs to provide equal access to a high-quality voluntary pre-school education
experience to all 4 year olds at no cost to the consumer under revised standards and expectations.
Michigan currently funds preschool for students that are identified as potentially at-risk of
educational failure through Michigans Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP). A rigorous
evaluation using Regression Discontinuity Design showed that children who participated in
GSRP scored significantly higher on early literacy assessments (4th Grade) than children in the
comparison group according to the 2014 GSRP evaluation.
If this program is proven to be impactful, why only offer it to the most at-risk students?
It isnt only at-risk students that are in need of literacy exposure or tuition assistance to obtain
high quality preschool. With the cost of sending a child to preschool reaching almost $3,400
annually for families, many middle class families are struggling to pay or unable to pay this
tuition which in turn starts children off on an unsuccessful path while peers are racing ahead.
This isnt equality, and each and every child should be afforded the same opportunities within
Michigans education system.
Investing in the future of our children is priceless. According to the National
Educational Policy Center in 2012, high-quality, intensive preschool education for at least
two years can, by itself, close as much as half the achievement gap and improve test scores
from the 30th to 50th percentile. The center also notes that perhaps more important than
higher test scores is that children provided with preschool programs demonstrate more
positive adult social indicators, across the board. This means fewer arrests, fewer grade
retentions, higher graduation and college attendance rates, higher employment rates and
wages, and less welfare dependency which can lead to up to a $17 return for each taxpayer
dollar invested in preschool.
If literacy proficiency is an educational priority in Michigan, our government needs to
find a way to implement this best practice. The National Early Literacy Panel reports that
intervening early in a childs education is more impactful than waiting until the later years. The
Childrens Leadership Council of Michigan makes suggestions to some of the choices
policymakers have to fund preschool for all 4 year olds. These include the following; dedicating
future state tax revenue growth to preschool/early childhood initiatives, finding efficiencies in
other programs and re-allocate savings to preschool/early childhood, commit one percent of
statewide K-12 funding to preschool/early childhood expansion or enable regional enhancement
millage votes on local preschool/early childhood initiatives. If there is a will, there is a way.
Michigans educational system is broken. Implementation of preschool for all needs to occur
now, before even more children slip through the cracks.

Putting academics aside for a moment, preschool will also allow children to develop
socially and emotionally, learn how to make choices for themselves, and begin to learn how to
care for themselves and others. These opportunities will prepare children to become more
independent as they make the transition to grade school. Being emotionally and socially
prepared for Kindergarten will allow academics to be a priority without other obstacles in the
way to prevent learning.

I urge you to take part in ensuring Michigan students are well prepared for school and
begin their educational journey down a successful path by being provided with a high quality
preschool experience. Contact the Childrens Leadership Council of Michigan Network to learn
how you can become a statewide or local advocate for equal access to preschool. Make your
voice heard today by contacting Governor Rick Snyder and your state legislators to urge them to
implement publicly funded preschool as an early literacy intervention.