New preschool opportunity on Grand Rapids' south side opens doors for low-income families

Many low-income children are way behind by the time they enter kindergarten because they lack opportunities for learning and socialization. A Grand Rapids-based preschool program aims to give those kids a place to learn, to grow, and to get a leg up on their future through free preschools in the neighborhoods where many of those children live.

This week, the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative opened a newly remodeled preschool classroom at South End Community Outreach Ministries (SECOM - 1545 Buchanan Ave. SW), its sixth Grand Rapids location, all funded by a $5M grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

"Our focus is children who will be four years old by Dec. 1, 2013, so we can get them ready to go to kindergarten," says Dr. Nkechy Ezeh, director. "Eighty-three percent of the children are not ready for kindergarten. Having small schools in the neighborhood makes it personable for the children, where they can feel connected -- many don't have transportation, and they can walk to school."

Dr. Ezeh says that when a child starts kindergarten and is already behind, they often don't ever catch up. That leads to poor school performance, higher dropout rates, and adults not prepared to be part of the workforce.

The ELNC offers children the chance to be on equal footing with their peers when they enter school. The goal is to have one teacher for every eight children in the class. The SECOM classroom has two full-time teachers who work with 16 children in the morning and another 16 in the afternoon.

Another important part of the preschool program is making sure the children receive a meal. The morning classes receive breakfast and a snack; afternoon classes get lunch and a snack.

"This is future workforce development," Ezeh says. "The long-run impact is the thing that's great to us."

Source: Dr. Nkechy Ekere Ezeh, Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

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