Information for Producers
MiMEP: The Michigan Migrant Education Program serves workers and families of all races that have moved within the last 36 months because of temporary or seasonal agricultural employment that results in a change of school districts. MiMEP is a set of education related services as well as basic need support services for children and their families working in agriculture. The primary goal of MiMEP is to ensure students receive high quality educational support in school or provide alternative educational supports for out of school youth employed in agriculture.
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How does the MiMEP benefit Michigan’s agricultural employers?
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Who is eligible to participate in MiMEP? In general, our program can support children from birth up to the age of 22 who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent. Participants are often the child or spouse of a migrant worker. In some cases, participants are the migrant agricultural worker themselves.
How does MiMEP help students, families and the farm employer? The state-wide program provides a variety of services for students and their families. MiMEP staff provide English language instruction to learn English or often work with students to learn vocabulary and phrases that will help them while working in Michigan. MiMEP staff work with a wide network of local organizations to help with food, clothing, medical, dental, and other needs of workers or their families. Core services include preschool, tutoring, summer school, health programs, English language programs, family home visits, academic counseling, alternative education, dropout prevention and enrollment support.
What should local producers do? When local producers have new youth workers and family members arrive from another Michigan community, state or even another country, they should reach out to the MiMEP program. A MiMEP representative will contact the families or worker outside of work and help the children or youth get enrolled in a variety of educational programs as well as arrange for any additional support the family or youth may need. Producers can reach out to the MiMEP at any time to request bilingual educational materials or ask questions.
Where did the MiMEP come from? The MEP began with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and continues under Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 [Title 1, Part C]. The Michigan Migrant Education Program (MiMEP) has been serving migrant students for over 40 years by assisting local producers and schools to identify and support the children and youth from Michigan’s agricultural worker community.
Michigan has two identification and recruitment centers to help the MiMEP identify and serve potential migratory children. The MSU ID&R Center (lead) and the Van Buren Intermediate School district work together to offer services to children.
For additional information please contact the MSU ID&R Center by emailing lackb@msu.edu