State education leaders announced this week a record-breaking enrollment in the PreK for All program, now free to all four-year-olds regardless of family income.
51,000 children are now enrolled in the Great Start Readiness program, the state’s primary PreK option - 9,000 more than last year.
Ashley Karsten, Director of Early Childhood for the Kent Intermediate School District says there are some growing pains but overall, it’s a good stretch.
“We've opened an additional 55 classroom serving over 600 additional students. We're expanding our programming options, so you'll find part-day programs, full-day programs, programs offering five days a week and also programs with four days a week.”
Communities with consistent growth have been planning for the increases, like Hudsonville Public Schools where leaders say enrollment in the free program is up 75% over last year.
If the trend continues, the district may need to add another building or expand existing ones to accommodate growth.
Karsten agrees the main challenges are space and staff.
“Finding those highly qualified staff that we look for in our pre-K program has been a struggle for a lot of centers. As we bring on more kids, we're looking for qualified staff as well as substitutes. I think those are our biggest concerns.”
Leaders say there is still time to sign up for this year; enrollment in PreK for All closes in February.
For a weekly dose of news right to your inbox, sign up for the WGVU newsletter.
