By Teri Banas

Early childhood received a coveted shout-out in Sunday's prime-time gubernatorial debate, with both Republican Rick Snyder and Democrat Virg Bernero pledging support for early childhood issues and programs.

How did that play with some of the state’s top advocates for young children?

Judy Samelson, CEO, Early Childhood Investment Corporation

Sunday’s debate was heartening for early childhood advocates who argue for investment in young children based upon concrete science, data and return on investment only to be told all too often, “Yes, we all care about young children but we just can’t afford to spend money on them.”

Having not one but both gubernatorial candidates actually articulate the science and benefits of early childhood investment suggests that there is hope for young Michigan families and kindergarten teachers who yearn that children are ready for school and life when they hit the kindergarten door. “

Jack Kresnak, President and CEO, Michigan’s Children

The significance of both gubernatorial candidates talking about investing in this state’s youngest and most vulnerable children cannot be overstated. Both candidates showed an understanding of the returns on investment that early childhood programs have been shown to have.

What was lacking in the debate, though, was an explanation on how those investments – in parental support, health care and high-quality day care – should be funded.

As Mr. Snyder and Mr. Bernero enter the home stretch of their campaigns, we urge them to clearly and publicly make the case to voters for prioritizing programs that help vulnerable infants and toddlers get a healthy start and prepared for kindergarten. Michigan’s future depends on it.

Marvin H. McKinney, ECIC Executive Board Member

I acknowledge that both candidates speak to the importance of early development and early learning. However, programs and supportive services for children are much more inclusive than school readiness and state-supported preschool programs. I would suggest that whoever becomes the next governor appoint a 0-5 staffer to stay on top of the challenges, needs and successes of vulnerable children, pre-birth to kindergarten age, to ascertain the opportunities to optimize a positive developmental trajectory.

I would caution Mr. Synder about taking too much from the “Success by Six” initiative. Concomitantly, I agree with Mr. Benero the entire 0-5 continuum should be our focus. Although the Perry Project certainly laid the national foundation for our understanding of a well thought out early childhood intervention, our current understanding informs us that this is not enough. We need to start earlier, even before the hospital.

The next governor will set the tone for where we place the health and well being of very young children on an already crowded state agenda. Let us hope and pray that he and his staff are well informed, seriously committed, and pro-action oriented.”

Rich Van Tol, Early Childhood Director for the Saginaw Intermediate School District

On the one hand, it’s wonderful that (early childhood) is on their radar screen. It’s good. It’s just that early childhood encompasses so much more than what they described, so much more than preschool. While that’s wonderful and important, it’s only a fraction of what an early childhood system needs to do to support the comprehensive wellness of all young children and their families.

I got a little bit nervous about some of the comments both candidates referenced, a little nervous by candidate Snyder in terms of his reference to pubic-private partnerships. While they are important, many communities are already very much engaged in conversations with Great Start Collaboratives. I think we’re already well down that path already. It’s just such a multi-layered subject area and we only heard a very generalized endorsement of the concept of early childhood.

As educators we see the real impact on children. Children are an amazing barometer of what’s happening in your community. What we’re seeing and the effects of poverty on children is alarming. We see a lot of problems, a lot of stress. A lot of children are unprepared to take on the challenges of school as a result of poverty and what is happening in unemployment.

Jane Zehnder-Merrell, Kids Count in Michigan Project Director

With regards to Bernero, who I think gets it, he knows this is science. We have lots of research to point out how critical those early years are. But as a state, these are precisely the areas where we are withdrawing support. There are huge cuts in the general fund in terms of appropriations for families, maternal and child health. And this is not the direction we need to be going.

I think one of the problems with Snyder’s approach is that I don’t know what the government is going to coordinate in communities where we have such high levels of distress. And, this is not just a question of health care, or preschool, or personal responsibility. It is a social contract here to make sure children have what they need in order to succeed. And if we ignore the disparities, they just get reinforced through the systems. And we need to have the resources in place to coordinate.

I don’t think he (Snyder) gets that we have communities -- and you can see them in our data -- where we have profound disadvantage. For example, in Saginaw, 77 percent of women who gave birth in 2008 qualified for Medicaid. I don’t know what resources are going to be in that community to address that level of disadvantage. That’s part of the challenge. Government is the vehicle where we pool our resources to help people who are disadvantaged ….. and I don’t know that government can play that coordinating role if there’s nothing to coordinate.

Karen Aldridge-Eason, Foundation Liaison, State of Michigan

My reaction to the two candidates comments is simple. I think this is such an important acknowledgement. Having the issue of early childhood as a part of the debate and having both candidates able to articulate a position is such a huge gain for young children and families in Michigan. So many people across the state, including ECIC, have worked so very hard to get this on the public agenda so the question on Sunday night and their responses are a big win. We now need to keep the focus for the sake of our children and our state.

Matt Gillard, Advocacy Specialist with the Michigan Association of United Ways

I was glad early childhood was brought up specifically, and encouraged to hear both candidates speak in favor of it. Both of the candidates’ responses were consistent with what we’re hearing from those who have had contact with them in the campaigns – that early childhood is something that needs to be part of moving Michigan forward.

Their answers also mirrored their approaches to most other questions in the debate. Virg Bernero’s approach has been, “How should early childhood be engaged and participate in the economic recovery in Michigan?” I think Mr. Snyder truly believes government needs to reinvent itself and needs to take a different role like public-private partnerships.”

Pam Smith, Executive Director, Great Start Regional Child Care Resource Center for Southeast Michigan

Candidates have to recognize the impact early childhood development has on workforce and economic development. Today’s children are tomorrow’s taxpayers and the candidates’ future constituents.

Children that are in high-quality care are encased in a network of support that benefits the entire family. Parent education, human services, information on proper nutrition and more all provide a cornerstone of stability for the family – everyone wins.

We have seen an increase of support for early childhood education initiatives at local levels. People get it, communities support it and politicians need to understand it and make it a priority for funding.”

Amy Hesse, Coordinator, Crawford, Iosco, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Roscommon Counties Great Start Collaborative

I was grateful they mentioned it. That’s a step in the right direction. I was really impressed that Virg Bernero had the understanding of the concept of the zero-to-five continuums. Often, they (candidates) only think (of early childhood issue) as preschool. He really emphasized that if you don’t make sure our parents and infants have the support they need then children aren’t going to develop properly. That was exciting. Yes, what we do with our children – especially in zero to five -- affects the rest of their lives.

Toni Hartke, Director, Wayne County Great Start Collaborative

Overall, I was very pleased Rick Snyder brought up early childhood first before he really was asked a question about it. That drew my interest. His other comment that we need to fund it through public-private dollars also played in a lot with the work we already are doing with ECIC. It’s one of the first debates where I really feel early childhood is a priority, and I hope ECIC had something to do with that. I was very happy it got mentioned.

To read Great Start's coverage of the debate, including a transcript of what the candidates said, click here.