Michigan Falling Behind Other States in Offering Universal Pre-School

"When do children learn the fastest? Scientific studies are unanimous that it's from birth to age five.

So when do we start sending them to school?

In most cases, not till Kindergarten, which usually begins at age five. In other words, there's a vast disconnect between what we know and what we do. Which brings us to the "Pre-K" movement, which recognizes that what happens from birth is hugely important, and that kids ought to be going to school earlier.

Now let's look at the record. The Center for Michigan, the non-partisan, non-profit "think and do tank" (Phil Power) founded, had an education action group meeting this March. An issues guide prepared for that meeting revealed that as of two years ago, 16 percent of Michigan four-year-olds were in federally funded Head Start preschools. State-funded pre-K programs served another 18 percent.

But that leaves out nearly two-thirds of the rest. How do we do in comparison with other states? Not as well as we should. Currently, Michigan ranks 19th as a proportion of population served, while we rank 16th in support per child enrolled — below where we should be."

More of Phi Power's comments at the Center for Michigan:

www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/missing-the-potential-of-michigans-youngest-students/

Battle Creek Schools Announces Locations for Free Meals During the Summer

Children ages 18 and younger may qualify for free meals during the summer at 10 Battle Creek Schools.

The list of participating schools may be found in the Battle Creek Enquirer at:

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100429/NEWS01/304290009/1002/BCPS+announces+free+summer+meals

May 8: National Assoc. of Letter Carriers Nationwide Food Drive for the Needy

"For local food pantries it is one of the most affecting days of the year.

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold its nationwide food drive on May 8. On that day, postal workers across the country will once again pick up bags of canned good and non-perishable food items left out by residents to help those in need.

“Millions and millions of families are suffering – struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table,” said Frederic Rolando, NALC president. “Food banks, pantries and shelters need our help more than ever this year. As families count on them for support, they’re counting on us and we will not back off on our commitment.”

In the NALC’s announcement for this year’s drive, Rolando “also noted that donations are particularly critical at this time since most school lunch programs are suspended during the summer months and millions of children must find alternate sources of nutrition.”

Countless food pantries benefit from the donations collected during the drive, including the Niles Salvation Army.

“We have seen a lot of new faces, new people who have never been (in) the system, so to say,” Captain Bill Walters said Thursday. “That’s just one of the changing things of the times, we’re seeing a lot of people needing assistance right now.”'

- Niles Daily Star

Read more at:

www.nilesstar.com/2010/04/23/letter-carriers-to-deliver-help-for-needy/

Fiesta 2010: April 30 and May 1 in Holland Michigan

There was a small but wonderful reminder in the Grand Rapids Press over the weekend of the Fiesta 2010 to be held in Holland on April 30 and May 1. To me, it sounds like it will be a beautiful celebration of Latino culture and heritage.

Unfortunately, in the "comments" concerning the celebration, the first person to comment suggested that:

"Its time to send in ice (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and start to arrest the illegals at these events."

Our Latino brothers and sisters in Holland are getting ready to have a party, a fiesta. I would hope that the only police or law enforcement presence is there to maintain order, direct traffic, etc., no different than any other large gathering of people be they of European, Asian, African, Pacific Islander, or Native American descent.

www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/04/fiesta_translates_into_inclusi.html


P.S. I also wish that folks had to identify who they are when they submit comments to the on-line editions of responsible newspapers and magazines. For what it is worth, I'm Roblloyd in the comments section of the GR Press and MLIVE.com.

Should the Federal Government Extend Unemployment Benefits Again?

"Up to a million people could find themselves with neither a paycheck nor an unemployment check by year's end, according to preliminary estimates by one advocacy group.

These folks are begging lawmakers to extend the duration of benefits into the triple digits. Scores have emailed CNNMoney.com, detailing their desperation. But there's no movement currently in Congress to add more weeks.

"People will endure extreme hardship," said Andrew Stettner, deputy director of the National Employment Law Project. "We can't just let everyone fall off of this cliff."

But a growing chorus of economists and lawmakers say another extension would be the worst thing for the unemployed. It would likely further delay these Americans' re-entry into the workforce.

"If you are subsidized to stay out of the workforce, many people will," said Alan Reynolds, senior fellow at The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank."

- CNN Money.com

money.cnn.com/2010/04/23/news/economy/extending_unemployment_benefits/index.htm

Battle Creek Teens Volunteer for United Way Day of Caring

Friday, some 300 Battle Creek area youth volunteered for the United Way's Youth Day of Caring.

"Brittany Cole, a senior at South Hill Academy, had never helped with a car wash but has volunteered at the Battle Creek animal shelter for two and a half years." Brittany was one of several teens working side by side with clients of the Haven, a "a place where the homeless can go to get their lives back on track."

Seems to me with teens like Brittany, we old folks can stop worrying about the future. "It's really fun. I enjoy it," said Brittany.

For the article in Saturday's Battle Creek Enquirer see:

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20100424/NEWS01/4240318/1002/NEWS01/Teens-volunteer-for-United-Way-Youth-Day-of-Caring

The End of Income Tax Season

For the most part, income tax season has ended. VITA and AARP tax volunteers throughout Michigan are closing down their tax sites, deleting personal tax files from computers, and preparing reports for the various funding agencies which support the EITC (earned income tax credit) tax assistance programs.

In Berrien County, we are getting ready to celebrate and honor volunteers next Monday night at a dinner at the Niles District Library. Nothing fancy, really. A few words will be spoken, perhaps a blessing will be said, some food will be eaten together, certificates of appreciation passed out, and then we will be "officially" done until next tax year.

The problems that our clients experience are not just during tax season, but are 365 days of the year.

Yesterday, I had a follow up call with a young woman. (OK, she's in her early 40's, but that is young to me.) The volunteer preparer who completed her tax return had made an error on the return. When she left our tax site, she was under the impression that she was entitled to a refund of about $500 for the Michigan renter's credit (Michigan Form MI-1040CR, commonly referred to as the homestead property tax credit.)

She had not received her refund from the State, except for about $90 in home heating voucher rebate. So, she had returned back to the site, wondering what happened to her $500 refund. To this day, I am still not sure what the tax preparer (a new volunteer this year) had done. It appears to me that he randomly entered $500 in the wrong line. Maybe it was a sticky keyboard (since our equipment tends to be hand me down). Who knows?

When she returned to our tax preparation site in downtown Benton Harbor, I told her that it appeared to be a mistake and that she was not entitled to the $500 refund. She was in tears. So, I promised to look into it further and call her back to confirm this, one way or the other.

Volunteers who work on taxes know that the last week or two of tax season is busy (like the start of tax season) with last minute procrastinator tax filers. (Imagine that! Not everybody likes to get their taxes prepared!) So, I forgot to call her back. Or perhaps more likely, dreaded calling her back because I was not sure what I was going to say other than: "I'm sorry. It was a mistake."

Yesterday, the caller i.d. on my home phone indicated that someone had called. The caller had not left a message, but once I thought about the name, I realized it was the young lady. I had not yet called her back and it was now a week or two later.

So, that was my cue. I did call her yesterday afternoon and let her know. "I'm sorry. It was a mistake." And she said, "That's OK. I have stopped beating myself up over it. I guess it wasn't meant to be."

Our phone call ended with a few pleasantries. "God bless you" and such.

However, this morning, it has got me to wondering. A woman who was "beating herself up" over not receiving a tax refund of $500. What does a woman who lives off of an annual income of $8,300 do the other 364 days of the year when she is not getting her taxes prepared? Maybe wondering will she get lucky on her taxes next year? Or how to pay the bills? Or hoping that she does not get sick?

This morning driving into work, I heard one of my favorite songs, a Motown oldie from the Five Stairsteps, before the Jackson 5 -- the "First Family of Soul."

Somehow, it seems fitting today. So, as a former disc jockey, please allow me to dedicate this to a young lady in Benton Harbor. I hope her boss gives her a raise this year:

"O-o-h child things are gonna get easier
O-o-h child things 'll get brighter
O-o-h child things are gonna get easier
O-o-h child things 'll get brighter

Someday we'll get it together and we'll get it undone
Someday when the world is much brighter
Someday we'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun
Someday when the world is much lighter"

www.last.fm/music/The+Five+Stairsteps/_/O-O-H+Child

for the full version, and not just a preview of O-o-h child:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVF4r3fLBrU

Business leaders agree: Education critical to economic success

Business leaders in Kalamazoo understand that education is a cornerstone and precedent to successful, productive workers and careers in our region. Several business leaders weighed their opinions in a recent Kalamazoo Gazette Article:

That the state spends more on the Department of Corrections than it does on higher education could hurt high-growth local companies such as MPI Research and Stryker Corp., which rely on educated and talented workers in Southwest Michigan.

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said William Johnston, owner of The Greenleaf Cos.

“I shudder to think that the corrections budget is higher than our education budget,” Johnston said. “We know that the only way out (of the economic slump) is through education.”

“One of the concerns I do have is increasingly the U.S. isn’t putting out as many engineers,” said MacMillan, who noted that Stryker needs talented engineers to develop the medical technology it sells.

Read the Full Article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/04/education_critical_to_economic.html

Don’t Blame Extension of Jobless Benefits for unemployment levels

According to a paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the high duration of unemployment has a “quite small” relationship with the maximum amount of time one can draw unemployment benefits. From the Wall Street Journal:

“Extended [unemployment insurance] benefits have had a relatively modest effect” on the jobless rate. “We calculate that, in the absence of extended benefits, the unemployment rate would have been about 0.4 percentage point lower at the end of 2009, or about 9.6% rather than 10.0%.”

The paper notes the economic crisis of the last few years has generated an “unprecedented” level of unemployment duration. Those unemployed for more than six months hit 4.3% in March, “well above” the previous high of 2.6% in 1983. The economists note that the current situation is all the more striking because the unemployment rate peak was quite a bit higher in that downturn, relative to what’s been seen in this episode.

With all the rhetoric out there that unemployment insurance is actually raising unemployment, it is refreshing to see some statistics that show that extended unemployment benefits do not encourage job seekers to quit.

Read the full article: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/04/19/dont-blame-unemployment-extension-for-high-jobless-rate/

Survey of Kalamazoo County shows tie between joblessness, homelessness

Some interesting statistics from the point-in-time survey in Kalamazoo were released this week:

• For the third straight year, unemployment was the top reason homeless people in Kalamazoo County gave on how they ended up without a permanent residence, according to the findings of a point-in-time count performed in late January.
• About 20 percent of those surveyed at homeless and drop-in day shelters and other areas around the county on Jan. 27 said that inability to find work or the loss of a job had led them to lose their homes, stay in shelters or in transitional housing or to reside with friends or family — all circumstances defined as homelessness.
• Among those surveyed, the employment rate fell from 31 percent to 24 percent between 2009 and 2010. During the same period, the number of adults in the survey with an education beyond high school rose to 36 percent from 30 percent.
• The total number of homeless households dropped from 549, representing 985 people, in January 2009 to 409 households, representing 650 people, in January of this year.
• The number of children in homeless households dropped from 402 in 2009 to 238 in the January 2010 count.

Read the full article: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/04/survey_of_kalamazoo_county_sho.html