A Roadmap for Implementing PreK for All

In January 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced PreK for All, a bold goal to provide every four-year-old in Michigan with access to free PreKindergarten (PreK) by 2027. The announcement was followed by a $254.6 million increase in funding for the state’s PreK program—the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP)—to expand eligibility to children from families with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level

GSRP provides a strong foundation on which to base a statewide PreK for All expansion. Research on GSRP has shown that it is successful in closing achievement gaps between children from less advantaged families and their peers. Equally important, children who participate in GSRP perform better on state assessments in third grade compared to children who do not.2 GSRP is also one of only five state programs that meets all 10 benchmarks for high-quality PreK set by the National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER).

To develop the plan for expansion, a PreK for All Action Team guided a set of recommendations based on input from over 4,200 Michiganders, the latest research, and findings from other states and localities with robust PreK systems. The recommendations focused on several key areas, including building the state’s PreK capacity, strengthening the workforce, ensuring robust enrollment, and coordinating PreK for All with other programs and initiatives within the state’s birth-to-five early learning and care system.

The writing of the report was funded by the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.