Gov. Jennifer Granholm has talked consistently during her five years in office about the need to invest more money in early childhood education.
But the state's budget difficulties have made doing that job more of a goal than reality.
Spending on programs designed to help make all children ready for school did go up this past fiscal year by about $7.7 million, according to a study published in December by Michigan's Children, a Lansing-based advocacy group. But overall spending remains a third lower than it was in 2001, the group said.
Pat Sorenson, Michigan's Children vice president, said she hopes lawmakers will agree with Granholm's proposal to provide more early childhood services for low-income families.
"If we don't invest now in children, we're going to be paying later," she said. "We have been cutting over the last five years. We still have a gap to fill."
On Nov. 13, the governor plans to address an early childhood challenge summit to discuss where the state can best put its limited resources to help children get the health care, child care and parental help they need to succeed in school.
"We've had to struggle with budget issues," Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said. "But in spite of our budget difficulties, we're not willing to concede anything on early childhood issues."