“There's nothing in writing saying like we will continue to be funded So it was eliminated; the line item was totally eliminated.”
Rebecca Huberty is the Allegan County Great Start Collaborative Supervisor.
The collaboratives are the foundation of early childhood systems designed by families in each county to meet a community’s specific needs.
“We help families not fall through the cracks so that they are successful. They're thriving. They're striving. They’re developmentally on track and they're reading by
In rural Allegan County, Huberty says Great Start coordinates and supports programs for pregnant women, children birth to age 3, developmental screenings, childcare, preschool programming, support groups, literacy training, school resource officers and more.
“It's across the board in Allegan County. We do not have any other funding. We are a resource desert and so our grant funding was actually helping support other local agencies.”
Huberty says three full-time staff members will lose their jobs.
She has a month or two of funds carried over from last year’s budget, and then a system built over 20 years could be lost.
“I know the state is working on trying to find alternative funding, but that's going to take a really long time, and our impact is going to be now.”
The budget change also impacts the Great Start Family Coalitions, a partnering group of parents and caregivers who provide input on the system, share resources and engage more families to participate.
The new state budget does increase the per-pupil amount as well as fund free pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-olds, and early childhood education programs for preschoolers, pregnant women, and children with disabilities or developmental delays.
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