All districts — Discussion during breakfast time in Bonnie Alman’s preschool classroom centered recently on why the milk carton should remain on the lunch tray.
“Because if it spills,” said 4-year-old Harrison Barber.
Associate teacher Teesha Turmell thanked Harrison for his answer and encouraged the students to think about why the carton should stay on the tray.
“If it does spill, then the milk will stay in the tray and won’t go all over the table and drip down onto the floor,” Turmell said as another student responded, “That could get messy.”
These types of conservations are important, said Alman, a lead teacher for the Kent ISD Great Start Readiness Program.
“In preschool, students are learning the social skills that we need to feel confident and to help us navigate at school,” she said.
Along with the occasional bit of milk talk, 3,600 students in GSRP in Kent ISD are learning their numbers, shapes, alphabet and letter sounds at the now free-to-all state-funded preschool program for 4-year-olds.
That number is expected to grow, with thousands more students in the state eligible for the Kent ISD program. Expansion continues with more classrooms planned at various providers, said Ashley Karsten, Kent ISD early childhood director.
‘A Strategic Expansion’
The projection for greater numbers of students is due to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s commitment to free preschool for all. The state’s fiscal year 2025 budget includes $130 million toward the movement, which follows a 2024 investment of $254.6 million in free preschool.
“All students will be able to enroll at no cost to families,” Karsten said, noting that all current students are also attending the program for free.
Until this school year, GSRP used a sliding scale based on family income to determine tuition, though it was at no cost for many families.
Preschool enrollment opened March 1 at preschool.kentisd.org and is available in English and Spanish. Students must be age 4 by Dec. 1, 2025. If parents need a translator they can call (616) 447-2409 and speak to an intake specialist or work with a translator.
Aside from the federally funded Head Start, preschool programs in the state are tuition based.
Kent ISD currently operates 230 GSRP classrooms in 18 districts in Kent County, enrolling about 3,600 students, up from 2,927 in 2022-23. However, about 9,000 4-year-olds are eligible in Kent County, indicating a need for more space and staffing looking ahead.
“We are getting closer to that number, but the priority for me is to expand while maintaining high-quality classes. It’s a really strategic expansion,” Karsten said.
According to the GSRP 2022-23 Annual Report, the latest available, the 38,467 children served statewide by GSRP in 2022-23 represented nearly a 6% increase from the previous year’s student count of 36,415. In fact, the number of children served by GSRP in 2022-23 surpassed the pre-pandemic high of 37,369.
‘We know that the first five years of life is when children’s brains are 80% developed, so it’s really important that they have a high-quality preschool experience.’
— Ashley Karsten, Kent ISD early childhood director
Karsten said the plan is to increase the number of classrooms in Kent ISD by 25% to 30% for 2025-26. That follows this school year’s addition of 15 classrooms and increased class sizes from 16 to 20 students.
“We are still concerned about space, but as more and more people hear about pre-K for all, I think there is some more dedicated space becoming available,” she said.
Along with classrooms in school districts including in early childhood centers, GSRP classrooms are also run inside community organizations such as YMCAs and childcare centers. If there is a waitlist for fall, Karsten said she will work to expand even more with those types of providers.
“We know we have community-based organizations who are running 4-year-old preschools, so we are really working on partnering with them to help with the space,” she said.
But Karsten cautioned that opening new sites takes time. Providers must meet all GSRP requirements.
“We need to see a lot of growth in preschool to make sure every child is ready for kindergarten,” she said. “We know that children who attend high-quality preschool have higher graduation rates and higher college attendance and more success in life, so we do have really high standards.”
The play-based curriculum weaves in academics in a way that “children don’t know they are learning,” she said. “We do a lot of really fun activities but teachers are always documenting what children can do and knowing what they need to learn next.”
Ultimately, high-quality preschool is about giving kids the foundation to be ready for kindergarten, Karsten said.
“We are focusing on social-emotional skills, early literacy skills, math skills, building confidence to be in school, (and) interacting with peers and adults,” she said. “We know that the first five years of life is when children’s brains are 80% developed, so it’s really important that they have a high-quality preschool experience.”
Some districts have already planned for an increase in preschoolers. Kentwood Public Schools opened its new Early Childhood Center in September and will have a wing of eight preschool classrooms at Hamilton Elementary, slated to open next school year at 3303 Breton Road SE. Sparta Public Schools opened its ECC in 2021.
Kelloggsville Early Education Center has about 140 students enrolled in its nine GSRP preschool classrooms. Dean of Students Lamont Mallett said the EEC has room to accommodate growth in classrooms that aren’t yet full.
“There are still many hurdles to clear regarding (pre-K for all), and many are awaiting answers, but the idea of being able to offer options to families is great,” Mallett said. “We understand how important the introductory years of school are to children’s academic and social development, and we want to continue to offer a great service to our community.”
Always Looking for Staff
Additional classrooms require more staff, which is another challenge, Karsten said. A lead teacher, associate teacher and sometimes a classroom aide are assigned to every classroom.
Lead teachers must have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood or a teaching certificate with an early childhood endorsement. Associate teachers must have an associate degree in early childhood education or child development, a valid classroom childhood development associate credential, or willingness to obtain that credential or an associate degree in early childhood education or child development, Karsten said.
“Highly qualified staff are important. We are willing to work with people while they are obtaining credentials, and those staff require more support and training,” she said. “We will work with teachers using a TEACH Scholarship so they can get their credentials at a local place. We are very flexible in giving them time to finish as long as they are making progress.”
There are generally GSRP job openings all winter through Kent ISD and community partners, though the best time to look for openings is in May or June. Karsten said more than five openings were posted in late January, and community partners were also struggling to find qualified staff.
Setting Them Up for Success
It is a full day of instruction five days a week in Alman’s classroom. Students spend the day together, having breakfast and lunch as well as recess. Along the whiteboard in her room are pictures of the day’s task, with a student given the leadership role of helping to tell the others what the next task is.
Students are in preschool for one year, and then move on to either Young 5’s or kindergarten. Alman, who has been teaching preschool for 12 years — the last 10 with GSRP — has helped get many of them ready along the way for the next level of academics and much more.
“I have so much love for this age,” she said. “The students are very playful. There is the fun of setting up the room and crafting the lessons, having the conversations, fostering the growth.”
Alman said just like a K-12 classroom, it’s a challenge to work with students at different levels, so teachers have to be able to keep students engaged.
“It can be challenging, but fun. The children all respond differently to the classroom, so you have to be very patient.”
Reporter Joanne Bailey-Boorsma contributed to this article
Read more from Kent ISD:
• Tech Center program heats up student interest in skilled trades
• Partnership expands CTE programs in local districts
