Dear Friend,

Last week, I visited the Livonia Early Childhood Center to meet with staff and students and celebrate a big milestone.

This school year, enrollment in the Great Start Readiness Program, Michigan's free PreK program, reached its highest level in a decade. Today, 56% of Michigan's four-year-olds are getting high-quality early education, saving families $10,000 a year for a total of $475 million in savings statewide.

In this year’s budget, we can build on this momentum to set up more kids for lifelong success and save even more families more money.

Learn more about PreK for All programs near you below.

Let’s get it done.

Sincerely,

Enrollment Now Open For Free, High-quality PreK for All for the 2025-2026 School Year

PreK helps ensure children are ready to thrive when they enter kindergarten, and it sets children up for long-term success by providing the foundation they need to be successful in school and work. In addition to the benefits for children and their development, free PreK saves families an estimated $10,000 per year. A recent analysis found that every dollar spent on PreK for All creates $1.72 in total economic benefits for our state.

Enrollment in PreK for All is now open for the 2025-26 school year for children who will be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2025. PreK for All is open to all families, no matter their income, while prioritizing those who need it most.

Families can visit MiPreKforAll.org to find programs near them that meet their unique needs.

Protecting Michigan Students

Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Like many of you, I am deeply troubled by what this could mean for children in Michigan.

Nearly 10% of our state’s education budget comes from federal funding, which goes directly to low-income schools, special education, and other critical, on-campus supports. Michigan public schools could stand to lose a significant amount of funding and lose the tools that students need to learn.

I hear your concerns, and I want you to know that I am committed to protecting Michigan’s students and young learners. We will take every action necessary to ensure Michigan schools are receiving the funding and support they need to help our students build bright futures.

Since I took office, we have made record, bipartisan investments to set every student up for success. We are feeding all 1.4 million public school students free breakfast and lunch at school, we expanded on-campus mental health and school safety resources, and we raised per-pupil funding by nearly 26% since 2019 so every student has better textbooks and resources, from the library to the computer lab.

Last month, I asked you to share how cuts to the U.S. Department of Education would impact you and your family. I received over 1400 responses from folks across Michigan. I will be sharing the results of this survey soon.

In the meantime, if you are concerned about the impact of the U.S. Department of Education being dismantled, it’s important to contact the White House, your U.S. Senator, and your U.S. Congressperson.

• White House Comments line – (202) 456-1111
• White House Switchboard – (202) 456-1414
• Senator Gary Peters – You may contact Senator Peters’ office by calling 313-226-6020 or by visiting his website at peters.senate.gov.
• Senator Elissa Slotkin – You may contact Senator Slotkin's office by calling 202-224-4822 or by visiting her website at slotkin.senate.gov.
• House of Representatives – You may contact your U.S. Representative by calling the U.S. House switchboard at 202-224-3121 or by visiting the U.S. House website at house.gov.

You may also contact my office and make your voice heard at Michigan.gov/Whitmer, call 517-335-7858, or click on the button below.