The State of Michigan currently funds 70 full-day preschools specifically for low-income families, but as state budget cuts are implemented this month these schools are being forced to cut staff, services and in some cases, shut down altogether. This development has been particularly harmful to welfare recipients and those who are trying to work themselves off of the welfare rolls. Coupled with President Bush’s recently implemented welfare reform program, which requires individuals to work 40 hours a week or not receive government assistance, this development threatens to hurt Michigan families and place children in a precarious situation.
Following in the steps of former President Bill Clinton’s radical changes to the welfare program in 1996, the Bush administration increased the work requirements to receive welfare. While both the Clinton and Bush policies have been hailed by many politicians and pundits, the shortcomings of the legislation can be seen with the events in Michigan. Due to excessive tax cuts, the state is slashing the preschool program and abandoning welfare recipients. With parents working a minimum of 40 hours a week, the new plan requires a comprehensive childcare system. Full-day preschools, designed to accommodate working parents are necessary for low-income parents who must work during the day and cannot afford child care.
Parents who are forced to work 40-hour weeks now lack acceptable services for their children. The inflexible nature of the requirements leaves parents in an impossible situation where they must choose between the care of their children and vital welfare benefits.
When the state was entangled in a financial squeeze last October, legislators responded by excising large segments from the budget for primary education. The full-day preschool program was cut altogether, while $50 million was removed from summer-school grants and $100 million was purged from the parent-education and reading grants program. The state’s questionable commitment to education is disturbing. Education of the young is the best way to ensure a healthy future for Michigan’s economy. This future is being compromised by irresponsible funding cuts.
While the cuts will hurt families and the state’s future, the most serious effects will be felt by children. As they prepare to enter elementary school many children will already be behind their peers in academic and social skills. Children will struggle during the transition and may permanently lag behind their peers.
With the enactment of President Bush’s new welfare regulations, each state has the responsibility to ensure that individuals can balance the responsibilities of raising a family and working a 40-hour week. While the changes that have moved the authority of the welfare program from the federal government to individual states offer improved flexibility in welfare distribution, the changes have resulted in new problems for the welfare system. States must actively ensure that they provide adequate services to allow for their residents to meet the stringent work requirements. If they fail, they risk miring a new generation with the burdens of unremittent poverty.