Earth Notes
(2007-10-14)
Governor Granholm has talked consistently during her five years in office about the need to invest more money in early childhood education.
But the state's budget difficulties have made doing that job more of a goal than reality.
Spending on programs designed to help make all children ready for school did go up this past fiscal year by about $7.7 million. That's according to a study published in December by Michigan's Children, a Lansing-based advocacy group.
But the group says overall spending remains a third lower than it was in 2001.
The need to cut $440 million out of the existing budget makes it unlikely more money will be pumped into programs designed to help infants to 4-year-olds when lawmakers pass spending plans later this month.
© Copyright 2012, Associated Press
