MiLEAP Releases Report Highlighting Positive Impacts of Pilot Program to Strengthen Child Care Industry, Improve Child Care Affordability, Access

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) and partner organizations released a report today highlighting the positive impacts of a pilot program to increase wages for child care professionals in order to improve child care access and affordability for Michigan families. The report highlights the pilot program’s “substantial positive change” on staffing and quality of care, and its findings will be used to inform additional upcoming efforts, including a second pilot program launching later this year. 

“Michigan's child care providers serve an absolutely critical role for children, families, employers, and our economy as a whole, and we know that by investing in them, we are investing in our state’s overall success,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of MiLEAP. “MiLEAP is continuing to collaborate with partners across the state to find ways to attract and retain high-quality child care professionals, expanding space for more children, and giving more options for Michigan’s families.”

“As we work with partners across the state to expand access to affordable child care, we continue to hear that child care professionals need more support to stay and thrive in this industry,” said Emily Laidlaw, deputy director of Early Education at MiLEAP. “Our recent pilot demonstrated the impact higher wages has on recruitment and retention, and we are continuing to work with our partners to find ways to replicate the effort across the state.”

“In order ensure Michigan has a robust child care industry that has the capacity to meet the unique needs of all working families, we need to invest in early childhood educators,” said Alicia Guevara, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). “Increasing compensation both recognizes and helps keep highly skilled early educators in the industry to ensure more high-quality early care and education programs are available for families. We will continue to work with MiLEAP and the thousands of dedicated child care providers in Michigan to find ways to grow and strengthen the industry.”

“Child care is a major barrier to working parents entering and remaining in the workforce, and TalentFirst is proud to play a role in this effort to improve child care access,” said Kevin Stotts, president and owner of TalentFirst. “As we work to grow the pipeline of world-class talent in our state, we must also grow the talent pipeline in the child care industry to meet the needs of employees and employers."

“Hiring and keeping quality staff has been a challenge for our facility, and the pilot had a major impact on the employees as well as the families we serve,” said Kenosha Witherspoon, owner and director of Someplace Else Learning Factory in Detroit, one of the participants in the initial pilot. “During the pilot, we were able to hire two lead teachers, allowing us to care for more children. The financial support also allowed our employees to further their own educations, with one completing her Child Development Associate, which means one more credentialed child care professional in our community.” 

The report was produced by ECIC and TalentFirst, in partnership with MiLEAP. Its findings will inform  MiLEAP’s continued efforts with partners to expand access to child care in the state. Past efforts include:

• Caring for MI Future, which helped child care entrepreneurs open or expand more than 3,600 child care programs in the state, giving families more high-quality and affordable child care options.

• Winning federal funds to help Michigan continue efforts to make high quality child care affordable and accessible in every community.

• Cutting red tape by eliminating the requirement that parents cooperate with the Office of Child Support to qualify for low or no cost child care through the Child Development and Care Program.

• Awarding more than 1,900 T.E.A.C.H. scholarships to early educators, who keep kids safe, happy and learning. 

• Proposing streamlining child care licensing rules and reducing barriers for early educators, so they can focus on caring for Michigan children.  

• Connecting over 42,000 families with low or no- cost child care through the state’s child care scholarship program, the Child Development and Care program—up 18,500 children from January 2021.

For families seeking child care options, visit the Great Start to Quality website. For families with children turning 4 before Dec. 1, 2025, enrollment will open soon for FREE high-quality PreK for the 2025-26 school year. Visit MIPreKforAll.org to find programs near you that meet your family’s unique needs.