For weeks, Michigan lawmakers have blown past deadline after deadline to pass a new budget, while the state is on the brink of a government shutdown. One point of contention is education funding.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke on the issue Wednesday as she toured a home-based preschool in Romulus to tout the benefits of her administration's Pre-K for All program.

"We've gotten the job done, no matter who's there. Going into this year this late, I am concerned about it," Whitmer said. "We know that the investments that we make in the first three to five years of a child's life pay dividends over the course of their lifetime, they'll earn more, they will have a healthier life," said Whitmer.

Taking a closer look at the last budget, the $23.4 billion education budget the governor signed into effect last July included enough money to enroll nearly 60,000 children into the state's Great Start Readiness Program.

While she has seen progress, Whitmer says the budget delays could threaten that work.

"We've made headway on all of those fronts, but we're not at 100% and there's always going to be more good work to do," said Whitmer.

Whitmer spent part of the morning reading stories to some of the pupils of Beyond the Bell Preschool.

"We're just a family where we actually educate children and teach the whole child where they are," Michelle Cook, director of Beyond the Bell, said.

Cook started the at-home daycare program after working in her local school district.

"I finally decided that I didn't want to be in the school district anymore because I wanted to be more personable. I wanted to know about my parents. I wanted to help my parents more than just the classroom," Cook said.

Alondrianna Burns' daughter, Riley, has been attending daily for more than two years. Burns, a single mother, says the rising costs of daycare pushed her to find an affordable option that didn't sacrifice on quality.

"It's like more one-on-one care, not a lot of children-to-teacher ratio, and it's a very good communication balance," said Burns.

Burns hopes lawmakers understand the benefits of early childhood education and the difference it has made in the lives of families like hers.

"We need it to strive. We're trying to just work, and we just need a little help. We're not trying to live off the state. We just need assistance," said Burns.

With the new fiscal year starting on Oct. 1, Whitmer says the budget needs to be on her desk at least two weeks before to make sure everything runs on schedule.