Great Start Readiness Program State Evaluation

Michigan's Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is a state-funded preschool program for four-year-old children with factors that place them at risk for educational failure. The program provides high-quality academic and social-emotional experiences that prepare Michigan children for kindergarten.

Our team of researchers at Michigan State University is conducting a longitudinal evaluation of the GSRP. The goals are to:

• Support data-informed decision making
• Provide scientific evidence of the impacts of the state’s investment in GSRP

The maps on these pages provide detailed snapshots of GSRP for four-year-old children. Policymakers, program administrators, and other stakeholders can use these data to drive policy decisions and improve program quality.

In the 2021-22 program year (the fifth year of the evaluation), GSRP funding was awarded to 53 grantees consisting of 51 intermediate school districts (ISDs) and two consortia representing a total of four ISD. The ISDs oversaw subrecipients managing 1,325 sites and 2,524 classrooms. GSRP classrooms were available in 475 Michigan school districts. Of the 36,415 children served, 91% came from low-income families. The racial/ethnic breakdown is:

• 52% White (non-Hispanic)
• 29% Black
• 10% Hispanic/Latino
• 6% multiracial
• 2% Asian
• less than 1% American Indian/Alaska Native
• less than 1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander