A System for All Children: An Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment in Grand Rapids examines access to quality early childhood education programs in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Stakeholders can use the information presented to create a comprehensive, high-quality, equitable strategy for the community. The report highlights the programs and neighborhoods with the largest gaps of services in order for investments and improvements to reach the greatest number of children. Some significant findings include:

Only 30% of the need for subsidized and Head Start early childhood education programs is being met in Grand Rapids, putting an undue burden on low-income children and families.

The city needs about 4,000 additional licensed and registered early childhood education slots – and two-thirds of that need is concentrated in just one-third of the city’s neighborhoods. Five of those seven neighborhoods are those with the highest levels of children in poverty.

There is a dramatic lack of access to early childhood education slots for infants and toddlers, with just 16 percent of children aged birth to two having access to licensed and registered providers. That number drops to just 8 percent for children aged birth to two in the highest-need neighborhoods. (author abstract)