Tecumseh Public Schools child care programs receive COVID-19 relief grants

TECUMSEH — The Tecumseh Public Schools child care programs, including preschool, before school care, after school care and the summer care program received child care stabilization grants through the state of Michigan as part of the federal government’s COVID-19 relief spending.

The preschool program as well as the before school care and after school care programs at Sutton Early Learning Center received $224,000, which has been spent on tuition relief for parents, new playground equipment that’s being installed this summer, a shade canopy on the playground, a shed for extra equipment, new tricycles, a new mud kitchen, safety mulch, laptops for teachers, having classrooms painted, and having the carpeting professionally cleaned as well as new supplies among many other items.

“For the most part, preschools often function on hand-me-downs and equipment they can pick up wherever they can pick it up," director of preschool programs Shawn Behnke said, explaining that unless a preschool is a Great Start to Readiness Program they are not funded through the state of Michigan.

“We had a lot of rules and regulations on how that grant was to be spent," Behnke said. "It had to be spent in our building. They had to be spent within the preschool. It couldn’t be used to expand. It couldn’t be an ongoing expense. I couldn’t use it for increasing wages in the long run because the fund wouldn’t be there later. Another rule was, if the money was spent by May 25, then you could apply for the next one.”

Behnke did spend the money and applied for the spring stabilization grant and was awarded one last week for about $246,000.

Tecumseh Acres Intermediate Learning Center received $64,000 for before and after school care programs for third and fourth graders and the middle school received $106,000 for before and after school care programs for fifth and sixth graders as well as the summer care program for Young 5s through age 12. The two grants were fall stabilization grants.

Director of child care programs Susan Bird said with that money she was able to create more comfy, homey environments for the children where they can take the opportunity to relax and be themselves.

Some of the items purchased include tables; chairs; flexible seating with high tops, low couches and stools that are moveable; games; consumable items like construction paper and glue; and scissors as well as projects, sports equipment and laptops for teachers.

Bird said that she has not spent all the money from the grants and so did not apply for the spring round of grants.

Both Behnke and Bird say they want to expand their programs. Behnke said she would like to double the size of her program which includes four classrooms of 16 students each. She said the kindergarten has double the number of classrooms with more kids per classroom, so it seems natural that the preschool has room to expand. It’s just a matter of finding the space.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh Public Schools child care programs receive grants