When I was a toddler, I attended Crossroads Country Day School — a small private preschool located in the town next door to my own. At the time, I wasn’t aware of the privilege required to enroll at this school. Likewise, I wasn’t aware of the tremendous lifetime payoffs that accompany participating in preschool programs: a higher chance of graduating high school, a higher future income level, and a lower chance of winding up in prison. And finally, as a person of color, I had no idea these effects would only be amplified for myself. Instead, I simply assumed that every child my age was enrolled in a similar program — blissfully unaware of the luck I had in being born to a family that could pay for preschool.

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Truthfully, I didn’t really think about money at all until 2008. During the height of the financial crisis, my mother was laid off from her job. In just a few short months, we went from living in a large house to moving in with my grandparents. Shortly thereafter, my mother — a college graduate and successful manager — filed for unemployment. This was the first time I realized that regardless of how smart and hardworking one is, they may still need a helping hand.  After my mother was back on her feet, she remarried and became a stepmother to a young boy named Elijah. However, we no longer had the money to send Elijah to Crossroads Country Day School. As a result, through no fault of his own, he was robbed of the opportunity to experience the benefits outlined above. Unfortunately, Elijah’s situation isn’t unique: the same is true for millions of young children across the country.

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To help combat this reality and help do my part — however small — in creating a more equitable future, I’ve tailored my project around the movement to embrace universal preschool coverage. By this, I’m referring specifically to guaranteeing every child access to preschool services, regardless of any external life situations. While I’d love for this be implemented nationwide, I figured Ann Arbor would be a better pilot grounds. As a result, the content on this site is tailored specifically for residents of Ann Arbor. However, the lessons and main points can be applied to almost any context, and the fight for universal preschool should be embraced at every chance.

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On this website, I’ve included a cache of materials aimed at aiding the fight for universal preschool here in Ann Arbor. These materials include opinion articles from both sides of the aisle making the case for preschool coverage, a script for contacting government representatives, and fun graphics that can be shared on social media to show your network that you support the fight for universal preschool.

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If anything, I hope my project can spark a conversation about access to early childhood education not only here in Ann Arbor, but in every town across America. While some cities and states have embraced universal preschool, a child shouldn’t have to win a zip code lottery to access quality education. It’s my wish to see Ann Arbor join the list of municipalities who invest in their children’s futures — and I hope my project can play a role in getting that done.