KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo has a pre-school problem, but local experts have very different ideas about how to solve it.
Kalamazoo City Commissioners had a far ranging discussion Monday to talk about whether they can help, and the number one request they got was to spend money to fix it.
The panel put together for the session agreed that parents need more help, pre-school staffers need higher pay, and that providing more classes for pre-kindergartners would improve the lives of the children, their parents and the local economy, but that’s where the agreement ended.
A coalition of local officials presented a plan for universal preschool for three and four year olds. Kristyn Buhl-Lepisto, Director of K-C Ready 4’s, says this is when kids are learning at the fastest pace in their lives.
Upjohn Institute Economist Tim Bartic said for $10 million a year from the city, the state, and private donors, they could create a “Pre-Promise”, that would pay off four-fold in economic benefits and producing a generation of better citizens. He says they ultimately won’t regret investing in the community’s children.
But Grace Lubwama, CEO of the YWCA, disagreed. She says they need universal childcare from birth to 5, primarily directed at low income families, with more home based, 24 hour daycare. She urged commissioners to reject the status quo and do something different.
City Commissioners say they are not ready to commit to any plan at this point.
reporting from John McNeill
