Michigan Cracks Top 10 States for Best Early Education

Michigan's education system continues to find wins against other states. Recently, Ann Arbor was named the most educated city in the country, and now Michigan is among the best-educated states from the jump.

We're talking about early, preschool education, one step before traditional, formal education. Somewhat surprisingly, not every state in the United States has a universal pre-K program. Michigan is one of those states, but it's something high on the priority list for Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Because Michigan ranked as the No. 10 state overall (11 counting Washington D.C.) on WalletHub's list of States with the Best & Worst Early Education, that means the Mitten State outperformed a few states with dedicated programs.

Arkansas is another state that doesn't have a dedicated program either, but it came out on top as the best state for early education because of the ease of access for parents and the funding provided to the pre-K programs that do exist.

Michigan is in a similar boat, it may not be universal just yet, but the state allocates funds from grants and other resources to provide quality early education to students.

According to WalletHub's study, access and resources are the biggest factors holding back early education in Michigan. The quality, however, is already there.

Michigan tied for the No. 9 rank among states for the quality of the preschool education provided. However, Michigan dropped significantly in the other two categories. Michigan fell to 20th in terms of access, as programs are expensive and limited. The funding was a bit worse at No. 26 overall.

Still, there is some positivity as the state continues to work to make preschool free and accessible to every child. It could be just a matter of time before Michigan is topping the charts of yet another education-based study.