FLINT, MI (AP)-- A new partnership means that the University of Michigan-Flint's early childhood
education programs will be offered to more Flint families amid the city's crisis with lead-tainted water.
The university and the Flint Community Schools district says the Great Expectations Early Childhood Program at Holmes STEM Academy will offer the same teaching methods used at the university's on-campus Early Childhood Development Center.
Lead can cause developmental delays, learning disabilities and health problems in children.
Those involved say the program is ideal for children who may have been exposed to lead. The current on-campus center has a waiting list of more than 300 children.
Under the new partnership, families with children ages 3-5 may access services at no cost.
Plans call for further expanding the program this year in the school district.
