A state initiative to expand early childhood education opportunities is paying off in Washtenaw County, especially in the Ypsilanti area.

A push to offer no-cost, high-quality preschool to all, led by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), resulted in an increase in Washtenaw County enrollment for the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP)/PreK for All. Enrollment rose from 763 children in the 2023-24 school year to 878 children this year, a 15% increase across 82 classrooms.

"A lot of families don't realize we have more than 80 classrooms county-wide," says Ashley Kryscynski, director of communications and public relations for the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD). "They might think, 'There's probably nothing near me,' but the reality is that there are classrooms everywhere, and likely closer than a lot of families think." 
Doug CoombeChildren from the Early Head Start program at Beatty Early Learning Center.
Head Start and GSRP are both free school readiness programs. Head Start is a federally funded program for children ages 3 to 5 from families making up to 100% of the federal poverty level. GSRP is a state-funded program for 4-year-olds from families who make as much as 400% of the poverty level, though preference is given to those who make below 250%. 

Because Head Start is focused on economically disadvantaged families, with the federal poverty level serving as the qualifier, many of WISD's Head Start programs are on the east side of the county, where more of those families live. Kryscynski says that with the push for preschool for all, though, "income limit won't be an issue anymore."

Most recently, Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) has also added an Early Head Start program at Beatty Early Learning Center in Superior Township. It serves children 18 months to 3 years old and offers a four-to-one child-to-teacher ratio. The new class that just opened at Beatty in January has two teachers and eight children.

Beatty Principal Keynon Atchison says his building already had eight preschool classrooms, all either Head Start or a blend of Head Start and GSRP. He says he's excited about the "opportunity to reach families as early as possible" with the center-based Early Head Start room. He notes that, with these programs in place at YCS, the district has the opportunity to guide and educate children from 18 months to 18 years old.
Doug CoombeBeatty Early Learning Center Principal Keynon Atchison.
"A lot of Head Start and Early Head Start is geared toward socialization, getting children able to work with each other, a lot of critical thinking, and cognitive skills," Atchison says. "So, when they get to kindergarten and first grade, we've set a foundation for them to be able to achieve in school."

While the state's Preschool for All effort has emphasized savings for families who might otherwise have to pay for daycare or private preschool, it's about more than just a free babysitter.

"Clearly, this is something more than just high-quality child care," says Edward Manuszak, WISD's executive director of early childhood programs. "It's a high-quality educational experience for our youngest learners, to give them the start they all deserve."

Manuszak says the research is "so clear" on early childhood education. Various studies, including one by a Nobel laureate, report a seven- or eight-fold return on investment for every dollar spent. Further, he notes that research by the Ypsilanti-based foundation HighScope finds that investing in preschool lowers incarceration and special education rates, while graduation rates rise.
Doug CoombeChildren from the Early Head Start program at Beatty Early Learning Center.
"In education, we're always looking for the silver bullet, and early childhood education is that," he says.

Manuszak says WISD had already identified early childhood programs as an important focus before Gov. Whitmer's efforts to establish preschool for all in Michigan. In 2024, WISD staff learned they had been awarded a five-year grant to support the district's existing Head Start programs.

Manuszak says WISD offers a variety of different preschool programs, but before receiving grant funds to start the new early childhood classroom at Beatty, the district offered only home-based programs for children 18 months to 3 years old. That was great for many parents, but not for all.

Althea Wilson, WISD's early childhood family services coordinator, says the home-based Early Head Start program, which the schools continue to offer, is "great." However, it might not be a great fit for a parent who started out as a homemaker but then became employed outside the house. 
Doug CoombeChildren from the Early Head Start program at Beatty Early Learning Center.
"Then we couldn't meet them during the workday, and it became an added thing for them to fit into their schedule. They wanted to do it, but it became a lot," Wilson says. "We realized that having a center-based option would really be supportive for a lot of these families."

Wilson says parents were "eager" for the center-based program and there was a waitlist. Knowing their child is in a safe, high-quality learning program, parents can then apply for jobs or focus on continuing education so they can be more marketable and have more employment opportunities, she says.

"Now that we have [this Early Head Start] classroom, it's really exciting, and I hope the number of slots we offer can grow so we can support even more families," Wilson says.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.

Photos by Doug Coombe.