LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Governor Rick Snyder signed the new state budget Thursday. As we hear from Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta, the $50 billion spending plan includes more money for early childhood programs.
A boost to Great Start funding will allow 16 thousand kids from low-income families to enroll in the early childhood program. Governor Snyder says that would cut the program’s waiting list in half.
“We’ve made tremendous progress with early childhood," he says. "This is an issue that’s been out there for a lot of years. This is a huge step forward in terms of early childhood education in our state.”
The governor says he hopes to eliminate that backlog entirely when he signs another state budget next year.
The governor says there is still some unfinished business – namely, a federally funded expansion of the Medicaid program and raising $1.2 billion for roads.
For the Michigan Public Radio Network, I’m Rick Pluta at the state Capitol