Washtenaw County school to host new free pre-kindergarten program

A new free pre-kindergarten program will be available to 15 3- and 4-year-olds in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) this school year.

WISD’s Early Childhood Department and Lincoln Consolidated Schools will host the state of Michigan’s Strong Beginnings pilot program, an initiative funded through the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP).

“We knew that the MiLEAP department within the state government was offering a pilot,” says Dr. Edward Manuszak, executive director of early childhood at WISD. “We went through the application process and we learned that we were funded, so we opted for the start of the 2026-’27 school year. We couldn’t be more excited.”

The state-funded initiative uses play-based learning to help children develop literacy, early learning, language, and social-emotional skills before starting kindergarten. 

“We supply the funds and the outline of what the program should look like, and then [Lincoln Consolidated Schools staff] actually go about and hire the teachers and the staff they need for the program,” Manuszak says. “They have to meet the criteria that are laid out by the Strong Beginnings program from the state, and then we just make sure that they meet the criteria.”

Model Elementary’s Early Childhood Center in Augusta Township will house the two-year, application-based program, in addition to the existing Head Start and Great Start Readiness (GSRP) programs. Fifteen students who live within the boundaries of the WISD, will turn 3 on or before Sept. 1 this year, and whose households make under 250% of the federal poverty level will attend the school this fall.

“We are so grateful to the governor, our elected officials, our board of education, Lincoln Consolidated Schools, and our partners,” Manuszak says. “Most of all, we’re grateful for the families that trust us with their children. We’re thrilled to be in this space to offer a comprehensive approach to creating a high-quality early-childhood ecosystem within the county.”

For more information on early childhood education opportunities in Washtenaw County, families can visit the WISD’s Help Me Grow portal.