Early Childhood

1. Children must be 4 but not 5 on or before December 1.
2. First year programs must operate for a minimum of 20 weeks, 10 hours per week (2 1/2 hours/day for 4 days, or 5 hours/day for 2 days if Alternative Scheduled). In subsequent years, the program must operate for a minimum of 30 weeks. There is also an option for a home-based program.
3. Maximum class size is 18, with a 1:8 adult/child ratio.
4. Teachers must have a valid certificate with an Early Childhood Endorsement (ZA).
5. Paraprofessionals or Associate Teachers must have an Associate degree in early childhood/preschool education, child development, child care, or Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or equivalent continuing education experience as approved by the State Board of Education.
6. Classrooms must be approved by the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, Division of Child Day Care Licensing.
7. Districts may subcontract their programs to Head Start or another licensed child care facility. The subcontractor must fulfill all the requirements of the program, but the certified teacher may have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential instead of a ZA.
8. Community collaboration is required.
9. A district eligible to serve less than 18 children must form a consortium for fiscal purposes with other districts or an Intermediate School District. The districts can still run independent programs, or may join in their program operation as well.
10. Involvement by families of the children is required through home visits, parent/teacher conferences, family activities, and parent education programs.
11. Children and families become eligible for the program if they exhibit two of the 24 "at-risk" factors listed in the application.
12. More than 50% of the children enrolled must meet an income criterion. The rest of the children can exhibit any two risk factors, and do not need to meet an income criterion.
13. Children may not be dually enrolled in another publicly-funded preschool program (Head Start, Preprimary Impaired, Title I Preschool, or another Michigan School Readiness Program).
14. Children may be enrolled in a child care or private preschool program funded by the Family Independence Agency or parent tuition for the time they are not enrolled in the School Readiness Program.
15. The current allocation is $3,300 per eligible child.
16. Final allocation is determined by the numbers generated on the pre-application and the formula calculation. If need or capacity is less than the formula allocation, the allocation will be reduced accordingly.

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Macomb County Demographics

*Source: Kids Count in Michigan 2003 Data Book