The Wilder Research report – which showed the Michigan’s early childhood efforts save it $1.15 billion per year – was the subject of two commentaries this week in the state’s largest papers, The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.
 
The on-line version of The News carried a blog commentary by editorial page director Nolan Finley, who wrote: “As Michigan's policymakers debate new spending priorities, deciding which services a shrinking state can support and which it can't, it ought to move early childhood education higher up the list … Lots of hard choices will be made this year to balance the budget. There will be some winners and lots of losers. Early childhood education should be on the winning side.”
 
The Free Press published a commentary by Paul Anton, a Wilder economist, who wrote: “With continued pressure on the budget for fiscal year 2011, Michigan lawmakers may consider cutting these programs further. I encourage them to consider the facts before taking such a step. Our research indicates Michigan saves that $1.15 billion in real and substantive ways.”
 
You can read both by clicking the links above.