Case

No person should be denied the opportunity for a full life due to the socio-economic circumstances into which he or she is born. The greater community benefits when children become productive adults who earn a livable wage, respect and contribute to their community, raise responsible children, and retire with health and dignity. This outcome hinges on community and family involvement in education.

That said, our community faces the following realities:

In Ottawa County, 60% of all children under the age of six live in families where both parents work full time. 18.8% of the average wage job ($33,300 per year) is required to pay the child care costs of one child being cared for full time.

· 26% of all children in Michigan live in homes where no parent has full time, permanent employment.

Combining the two preceding statistics, it is evident that a majority of our community’s children live in homes where either parental time or parental education is limited, making it difficult for those families to provide the kind of educational enrichment and resources necessary to prepare their children for their futures.

These are not bad parents. They are struggling to shelter and feed their families. The mobility of our society has resulted in fewer grandparents and other relatives being available to support young families as they struggle to do the right thing for their children.

Early childhood education is essential to future success in school, yet day care is frequently focused on the basics—nutrition, cleanliness, safety—and educational activities are secondary.

Often the high cost of child care results in older children arriving home to no adults in the home or being required to come home after school to care for younger siblings. Children caring for children frequently results in television being the primary source of stimulation.

· The most dangerous time for children in America is from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., the time between when the school day ends and parent(s) typically arrive home from work. Rates of minor drug use, violence, and sexual activity skyrocket during those hours.

Also limited in our community is access by older children to after-school activities—homework clubs, music, sports, and other programs—that would ensure their safety and improve their educational achievement in those hours before their parents arrive home.

What is missing are the dollars to meet these needs.

It costs far less per year to educate a child than to incarcerate an adult.

The public school has been the great “step up” in American society for generations of Americans since 1837. (Is it any wonder that the first public school was established in Michigan, a state known for caring about its kids?) Through public education, waves of immigrants and others have had access to the American dream. And what followed was unprecedented economic growth as a skilled work force became available to build the mills, factories, and communities of this country in the great wave of industrialization that followed.

But funding for Michigan schools is now determined at the State level, and each year districts must wait to see how much will be awarded to them. This funding is rarely enough to cover the basic costs of operations and the state-mandated requirements for educational programming, much less having enough left over for early childhood or other enrichment. School administrations often must cut funding to the very kinds of programs and educational opportunities that would make the difference in giving every child in our community access to a full life.

The Grand Haven Schools Foundation (GHSF) was created to help fill in the educational gaps created by the funding situation in our public schools. Specifically, the GHSF was created to offer pre-school (early childhood) and after-school educational assistance for elementary, middle, and high school activities.

Every person and business located in the Grand Haven public school service area should be interested in this foundation. Every person knows someone who is in or has been in the school system, from the neighbor next door, to his or her grandkids, to children in their church. We read about the young adults who fail in our community and wonder what went wrong, where did society fail them in their upbringing. The GHSF is a way for people to help prevent future “failures.” Contributing to this foundation, knowing that the money will be used for early childhood development and educational enhancement, is a significant contribution to the future of our community. As a permanent endowment under the umbrella of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation, the GHSF is also a means by which people can make a difference for good, and for ever, while receiving significant income tax benefits in return.

Contact Information
Grand Haven Schools Foundation
1415 Beechtree St.
Grand Haven, MI 49417
Phone: 616.850.5066
Fax: 616.850.2010

Webmaster: John Siemion