Child care access and affordability continues to be an issue for all families in Michigan, and it’s a particularly troubling concern for families with low incomes and families of color. As we developed the Owner’s Manual for Michigan, child care was one of the most frequently mentioned challenges for members of our focus groups.
Learn more here about the challenges involved with accessing affordable, high-quality child care, and the solutions we think can help Michigan’s kids and their parents thrive.
And click here if you’re interested in helping advocate for a better child care system in Michigan by sharing your story.
Our child care resources:
Confronting Michigan’s Early Childhood Workforce Crisis
Legislature Approves Largest Increases in Early Childhood Services in Decades
Brief: Child Care Financing Reform: A Critical Next Step for Michigan Families and the Economy
Full Report: Child Care Financing Reform
County-Specific Fact Sheets: Child Care is a Critical Need
COVID-19 Brief on Child Care Needs
Baby Steps: More investments needed to make child care work for Michigan families and children
Blog Post: The High Cost of Care
Blog Post: Why we should all care about the cost of care
Moving the Needle on Child Care (from the Owner’s Manual for Michigan)
Childcare: 2021 Budget Priority
Michigan families know firsthand the struggles of finding the right child care situation. All parents make some kind of trade-off when it comes to child care, whether it’s missing out on time with their kids, giving up extras like vacations, losing out on career advancements, or, for many families in Michigan, having to cut corners or go without basic necessities like food and healthcare in order to afford the hefty cost of care.
Here, two moms, Courtney and Hannah, talk about what their families have sacrificed in order to make sure their kids could thrive.