Introducing Early Childhood Matters
ECIC is thrilled to share our new brand, including this refreshed version of our monthly newsletter!
You’ll notice our new logos, colors, and brand identity on social media, and a new website coming later this year. So while you may see a refreshed visual identity, who we are remains the same: Michigan’s premier early childhood leader, innovator, and advocate, helping to establish strong foundations that build strong futures so that all young children and families in Michigan thrive.
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You're Invited: ECIC Foundation's Inaugural Fundraiser
We invite you to join us for the ECIC Foundation’s inaugural ‘First Steps Bright Futures’ fundraiser, and consider sponsoring to be part of what promises to be a nostalgic, magical evening celebrating 21 years of ECIC achievements and our partnerships to improve Michigan’s early childhood system and to be a part of building the future for young children and their families.
Together, we can do more — and deepen our impact — for all Michigan children and families.
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Engaging Fathers and Male Caregivers as Parent Leaders: Moving from Participation to Partnership Webinar
Mark your calendars for the National Center for Family & Parent Leadership’s upcoming Fatherhood Webinar on September 10, 2026, from 1-2 pm Eastern Time focused on engaging, supporting, and partnering with fathers and male caregivers. Together, we'll explore practical strategies, hear from experienced father leaders, and discuss how organizations can create more welcoming and inclusive environments that recognize the vital role fathers play in children's lives and systems improvement.
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Leading the Way: Moving Michigan to Practice-Based Coaching
As part of the redesign of the Great Start to Quality (GSQ) Resource Centers beginning in FY27, ECIC is partnering with MiLEAP to implement a new practice-based coaching framework to better serve Michigan’s child care providers and families, while improving the quality of programming young children experience. Practice-based coaching is a nationally recognized, evidence-based approach used in many states and Head Start programs to support continuous quality improvement and stronger outcomes for children and families. Studies have found that coaching can improve teaching practices, educator-child interactions, and children’s language, literacy, and social-emotional development.
Through its partnership with MiLEAP, ECIC will be working closely to lead and implement the new statewide coaching framework with the Great Start to Quality Resource Centers. Additional updates on practice-based coaching and implementation efforts will be shared as they become available on our website.
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ECIC, Michigan Community Action, and the Michigan Head Start Association issued a joint statement on August 7 raising urgent concerns about a new federal proposal that would rescind more than 1,400 regulatory provisions and eliminate the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the framework that has guided the program's comprehensive model of care for over 60 years.
Early review shows the proposed rule would replace national staffing ratios and group-size limits with a patchwork of state child care requirements, eliminate most requirements for developmental, mental health, health, and dental screenings, weaken services for children with disabilities, restrict services for multilingual children and families, and make parent governance committees optional rather than required. The stakes in Michigan are significant: last year, Head Start programs here served 4,896 children with IDEA services, reached 932 children in foster care and 1,855 children experiencing homelessness, supported more than 17,463 families with a parent working, in school, or in job training, and employed 2,397 Michigan teachers, providers, and home visitors. Read the full statement here.
We are still reviewing the full 200-page proposal alongside partners across Michigan's early childhood network and will share a fuller analysis and recommended actions for advocates in the coming week. For a helpful overview in the meantime, see Start Early's key takeaways on the Head Start NPRM. Stay tuned, as we'll soon announce concrete ways you can take action.
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State Budget
Michigan’s FY2027 budget, which was signed into law last month, includes meaningful investments in Michigan’s children and families. In addition to protecting Child Development and Care scholarships, the budget establishes a new Early Childhood Investment Fund. See ECIC’s latest budget blog and FY27 Budget Tracker for details. Additionally, check out ECIC’s latest Budget Report, which includes additional details on what’s in the new budget for early childhood.
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Spotlight: Connecticut’s Family Leadership Story
Join the National Center for Family & Parent Leadership on September 9, 2026, from 1-2 pm Eastern Time as we highlight Connecticut's journey toward strengthening authentic family partnership and parent leadership. This special spotlight webinar will feature Connecticut Office of Early Childhood’s journey to authentically partner with family leaders including lessons learned, the real impact, and strategies that communities across the country can adapt to elevate family voice in early childhood systems.
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2026 Voter and Candidate Education Toolkit
The 2026 election season has significant stakes for Michigan. In addition to a gubernatorial race, all of Michigan's State legislature is up for re-election, and all but one U.S. Senate seat is up for election in Michigan’s congressional delegation. The outcomes of these elections will shape Michigan’s early childhood landscape for years to come. And with a critical 2026 election season underway, our state must engage in robust voter mobilization and candidate education to uplift the needs of Michigan’s youngest children and their families.
Think Babies Michigan has compiled a toolkit you can use for voter and candidate education, including both early childhood-focused and general voting resources.
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Ahead of the November election, ECIC and the Think Babies Michigan coalition are working to bring early childhood into the conversation. We are sending a questionnaire to candidates seeking statewide public office in Michigan about their early childhood policy priorities. Our goal is education, not endorsement, as ECIC does not endorse, oppose, or rate candidates. Responses will be published as received in our newsletters, on our website, and in materials shared with partner organizations, so that families, providers, and community members can understand how candidates think about the needs of children from birth through age five and the families and professionals who care for them. |
Who’s At Your Table Cohort Announcement
The National Center for Family & Parent Leadership is getting ready to launch its next cohort of “Who’s At Your Table” – a 9-month capacity-sharing series for early childhood leaders and families.This virtual learning series helps teams move from family participation to authentic parent partnership to involve families as co-designers of programs, policies, and funding decisions. Information about the next cohort of Who’s At Your Table will be available in the coming weeks – please sign-up for the National Center for Family & Parent Leadership newsletter to receive updated information.
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Turn the Tables Virtual Office Hours
Pull up a seat, because it's time we turn the tables! Have questions on how to ensure families’ experiences are strengthening your programs, services, and systems? The National Center for Family & Parent Leadership can help!
We're here to help you build capacity to expand and embed family and parent leadership to improve early childhood systems in Michigan and across the country.
Family & Parent Leadership office hours will be held every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 12 p.m. EST for 30 minutes.
The next office hours will be held on August 13 at 12 p.m. EST.
Questions? Contact FPL@ecic4kids.org. Recordings are available on the NCFPL website.
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FCCN In-Person Convening
On July 22nd, ECIC’s Child Care Innovation Fund, in partnership with MiLEAP and All Our Kin, hosted an in-person peer learning community for the Family Child Care Networks (FCCN) initiative.
This convening celebrated the stories of FCCN impact through a gallery walk and informed attendees about evaluation progress as the initiative’s five-year longitudinal study approaches the end of its second year.
Attendees also engaged in an interactive presentation with All Our Kin, which highlighted the All Our Kin Business Series, a free 10-week course that will be offered to Home Based Child Care Business Owners across Michigan over the next year. The All Our Kin presentation concluded with a panel featuring All Our Kin Business Series trainers and graduates from First Steps Kent-Mainspring who shared their learnings and reflections on Business Series implementation and impact.
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