The University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) received a $61,200 grant from the Michigan Department of Education’s Great Start Readiness Grant Program (GSRP) to fund tuition for at-risk children in the ECEC’s preschool program.
Four-year-old children who may be at risk of becoming educationally disadvantaged or who exhibit special needs are eligible for the grant. Studies have shown that children who participate in quality preschool programs are better prepared to enter school and continue to show academic progress five years later.
The grant allows 18 children to attend the ECEC program for four half-day sessions per week free of charge for the 2010-2011 school year. The ECEC has received the grant continuously since 2004.
Scholarships are offered during the Fall and Winter terms to help defray tuition costs for current ECEC families. The ECEC applies for the GSRP grant as part of its efforts to make the ECEC program available for families who are in financial need.
