Michigan advances bill mandating all 5-year-olds attend kindergarten

The Michigan Legislature is advancing a measure to make kindergarten mandatory for all 5-year-olds, despite concerns from pro-family advocates.

Senate Bill 285, sponsored by Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, would change the age for mandatory public-school enrollment from 6 to 5 for the 2025-26 school year.

Schools offering elementary grades would be required to add kindergarten to their services, and parents would be required to enroll their children unless they were already private- or home-schooled.

Parents who don’t think their child is ready for school can “delay enrolling the child in kindergarten for only that school year” (emphasis added).

SB 285 was approved 21-15 by the Senate in April, then advanced by a 9-4 vote in the House education committee Tuesday. All nine approving votes were from Democrats, while the four dissenters were Republicans.

“If we’re serious about setting kids up for a lifetime of success, early education’s where it’s at,” Polehanki said, noting it “doesn’t make sense that kindergarten continues to be optional” while Michigan also considers implementing universal preschool.

But pro-family advocates are expressing concerns about rising taxes for parents who are already funding their children’s education out-of-pocket.

“Even for those who have chosen homeschooling or private schooling, and they’re paying for their own children’s education out of their own pocket, they will still have to pay for this,” said Israel Wayne, vice president of the Michigan Christian Homeschool Network.

A legislative analysis estimated mandating kindergarten would increase state education expenses by over $43 million a year.

However, that pales in comparison to Michigan’s already-ballooning education spending. This summer, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $23 billion education budget for fiscal year 2025.  

Meanwhile, Molly Macek, an education expert with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, was troubled by the bill’s authoritarian rhetoric.  

“I don’t see language in the actual bill that requires parents to demonstrate where their kids are enrolled in school,” she said in March. “However, the bill does open the door to these types of policies. 

“This is a win for schools that increase their student count at the expense of parents sacrificing their ability to choose what is best for their kids.” 

Many Michigan parents are already on high alert as lawmakers are trying to force homeschool families to register with the state.  

Nationwide, kindergarten enrollment rates for 5-year-olds are already high – about 85%. But those numbers took a hit during the pandemic and never fully recovered.  

SB 285’s last hurdle is the Michigan House, where Republicans have a 58 to 52 majority. If it passes, it will take effect 90 days after being signed by the Democrat governor.