Michigan’s free universal pre-K program could serve 70,000 4-year-olds this school year

During the 2022-2023 school year, about 3,100 Kent County 4-year-olds took part in free pre-K through the State of Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP). To qualify, their families had to meet income restrictions. Since then, GSRP has been transformed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s PreK for All initiative. Now that income restrictions have been abolished, an estimated 6,000 Kent County 4-year-olds and their families will benefit this school year. 

“Anytime a child has an opportunity to participate in early learning, especially if it’s free, it’s a win-win for the child as well as for the community,” says Jennifer Headley-Nordman, president of First Steps Kent. “Children are curious by nature. They want to learn. They want to understand the world around them. For parents, it provides some additional opportunity for childcare. So it helps from an economic standpoint. Also the school community sees the benefit when that child enters kindergarten.”

Kent County’s GSRP classrooms are currently housed in 170 public schools, 14 private schools, and 127 community-based organizations.

“Children have improved literacy and numeracy skills when they’ve participated in schooling prior to kindergarten, as well as being more-aware of routines, schedules, and the types of activities that take place within a school setting,” Headley-Nordman says.

Kent County’s families are benefiting in a variety of ways. Free pre-K helps provide no-cost childcare. In addition, parents have the opportunity to connect with and see their child’s learning journey. The pre-K setting also connects families with parent education, information, and resources to support their that journey, everything from academics and family activities to nutrition and healthy lifestyle.

“I’ve had families, over the years, reluctantly enter this process because they’re not quite ready for their children to enter a formal learning environment,” Headley-Nordman says. “Consistently, the parents talk about how much growth they’ve seen in their child in terms of their love of books, their love of learning, and their understanding of the way the world works. When the child is out and about in the community, parents are always impressed to see that transfer of learning from a school environment into their home environment and the community.”

Statewide success

Kent County’s experience of PreK for All is a snapshot of the difference the program is making across the state. Michigan’s intermediate school districts now have the capacity to provide nearly 70,000 4-year-olds free pre-K. The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) reports that by July, 53,000 families had already applied for those spaces. 

“We’re really excited to be making a lot of progress and especially about getting kids into high-quality, no-cost pre-K for every four-year-old in the state,” says Synthia Britton, MiLEAP interim deputy director of early education. “Demand is clearly growing. In 2023-2024, approximately 36,500 children were enrolled in GSRP. By the ’25-’26 school year, enrollment had reached a record of more than 55,000 children, which is more than double our 2021 numbers.”

For the past nine years, GSRP has maintained all 10 of the National Institute for Early Education Research‘s quality benchmarks — one of only six states in the nation to achieve that distinction. To ensure that those benchmarks translate into student success, MiLEAP is working with Oakland University to evaluate participating children through third grade.

“We know that high quality pre-K helps children build literacy, math, science, and social-emotional skills that provide that fantastic foundation going into kindergarten and beyond for long-term success,” Britton says. 

Free pre-K also means real relief for household budgets. MiLEAP estimates that PreK for All saves families approximately $14,000 per year per child in childcare costs. At the current enrollment level of more than 55,000 children, that translates to more than $770 million.

“Pre-K for All is also a workforce investment,” Britton says. “When families have access to reliable, high-quality early learning at no cost, parents have greater ability to stay in the workforce, pursue education and training, and remain economically secure. That’s a huge benefit to employers.” 

Britton shares that childcare-access related disruptions cost Michigan approximately $2.3 billion in employee or employer losses and $576 million in lost state tax revenue annually.

Barriers to overcome

While many barriers identified during stakeholder listening sessions and addressed by the PreK for All Roadmap have been overcome, some still remain. One main concern was having sufficient facilities where free pre-K could be offered. MiLEAP awarded more than $6 million in GSRP startup grants to 397 new classrooms and 94 expanded classrooms for the ‘26-’27 school year. 

IFF, a lender, developer, and consultant working with nonprofits and communities, has invested more than $60 million in creating, renovating, and preserving Michigan early childhood spaces. Highlights include three Detroit projects: Marygrove Early Education Center, which has spaces for 144 children; McClellan Early Childhood Center, spaces for 92, and Blessed Beginnings Learning Center, spaces for 60. Each of these three were designed to be replicated in other locations. 

“When IFF develops classrooms, we design them to be flexible — to accommodate whatever the enrollment demand is,” says Celina Byrd, IFF managing director, early childhood strategy and former Marygrove principal. “The state’s continued investment in startup and facility costs aren’t just a consideration for Pre-K for All. They’re an important part of making universal access available to all.”

A huge concern among home-based early education and childcare providers was the impact that removing 4-year-olds would have on their businesses. Like most of Michigan, Kent County offers no free home-based pre-K options.

“Parents are interested in a variety of early care and education experiences for their children,” Headley-Nordman says. “At the state level, they are aware that many families have a preference for home-based childcare experiences. Often, those settings can provide a preferred family language or cultural experience that’s important to a family. They also may operate in the evenings and on the weekends when other preschool opportunities are not available.”

MiLEAP launched a pilot program to deliver free pre-K with select home-based providers in Southeast, Southwest, and Northern Michigan in April 2026. 

“We did that through federal funds, and it’s really innovative,” Britton says. “Meeting families where they are — a variety of settings and schedules, part-time and full-time options, with transportation available in some communities.” 

A third barrier is workforce. 

“Michigan’s Pre-K for All Roadmap identified the early childhood workforce as a major challenge, including staffing shortages, turnover, and the need to strengthen pathways to the profession,” Britton says. “The state is investing in compensation and benefits, apprenticeship pathways, TEACH Early Childhood Michigan scholarships, and professional development to help recruit and retain educators.”

Byrd says that while federal funding cuts and delays in state licensing approvals for new and renovated facilities have been significant additional challenges, what is needed are systemic solutions that address the interconnected issues in early education, solutions that keep long-term sustainability and high-quality programming in mind.

“A community can create more childcare seats, but that doesn’t solve the problem if providers can’t afford to operate them, educators can’t afford to stay in the field, and families can’t afford the care,” she says. “We have to look at how all of the issues work together across the system.”

Despite these bumps in the road. PreK for All has been a great success for Michigan’s children, families, employers, and communities.

“Ultimately, this has been tremendous progress — a huge, large-scale transformation of the state’s early learning system,” Britton concludes. “Our focus now is continuing to expand access, strengthen the workforce, and make sure families can find a high-quality program that works for their children and their schedules.”

Photos by Nick Hagen at Angels of Essence Day Care in Detroit.
Jennifer Headley-Nordman photo by Tommy Allen.
Synthia Britton and Celina Byrd photos courtesy subjects.

Early Education Matters shares how Michigan parents, childcare providers, and early childhood educators are working together to create more early education opportunities for all little Michiganders. It is made possible with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.