According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, much of Northeast Michigan is a “child care desert.”

In a report last year, the League said Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties have more than twice as many kids as those counties have child care slots available.

Access to child care can be more than just a hassle. It can cause economic heartaches, too.

A May 2021 survey by the Federal Reserve, for example, found 22% of Americans said they were either not working or were working less out of concerns for child care.

Now, however, a partnership between Alcona Community Schools and the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency could help overcome that shortcoming.

Alcona and NEMCSA have formed a new Head Start preschool in Alcona’s elementary school building, serving 18 3- and 4-year-olds through a federally funded program.

“The district is thrilled to offer a third classroom of preschool, all found on campus,” Alcona Superintendent Dan O’Connor said in a statement. “The importance of early learning and social development is vital. We have had waiting lists for several years, and adding a classroom should move us closer to universal preschool for all Alcona students.”

We’re grateful to Alcona schools and NEMCSA for getting the Head Start put together. It will not only prepare more kids for kindergarten, making them more ready to advance throughout the grades, it also gives parents a safe place to drop their kids off so they can get back to work.

The new Head Start program is good for kids. It’s good for parents. It’s good for Alcona schools and our economy.

All around, a great thing, and we say thanks to everyone involved in making it happen.