After five years of living paycheck to paycheck, Haylee Fettes is getting something most early childhood educators could only dream of: free housing in Battle Creek for teaching in a preschool program.
Fettes is one of the first two early childhood teachers to move into free housing as part of First Home, First Teacher, a new initiative in the city that eventually seeks to provide housing for 30% of educators like Fettes, who often earn minimum wage salaries.
The new program is giving Fettes, who works at Stars and Stripes Learning Center, some financial freedom and will allow her to save more money…