Wishing You a Warm and Bright Holiday Season

From the ECIC team: happy holidays! Thank you to the parent leaders, child care professionals, early childhood advocates, and systems leaders that joined us to advance critical early childhood needs in 2025. Together, we’re building a stronger Michigan for children and families.

ECIC will be closed from Wednesday, December 24, 2025 to Thursday, January 1, 2026. We look forward to reconnecting in the new year!

House Appropriations Committee Cuts Funds for Michigan Families

Michigan’s House of Representatives voted to cancel $645 million in approved funding for state projects last week, returning the funding to the state general fund. Critical early childhood resources were slashed in the process, including: 

• $18.5 million for Rx Kids, which provides cash assistance to expectant parents and infants in 20 communities statewide; and  
• $3 million for the statewide SOS Maternity Network, a program offering early intervention for prenatal and infant care across Michigan. 

When funds appropriated through the budget process aren’t spent within the fiscal year, the State Budget Office requests that the funding be carried into future fiscal years and spent for their original intended purpose. Known as work projects, the state House or Senate is able to unilaterally deny these requests from the SBO, but has rarely done so in the past. The funds from denied work requests will be returned to the state’s general fund. 

Read more about how these cuts are impacting Rx Kids, and stay tuned for more information about these funds in the coming weeks.

From Token to Teammate: ECIC and NCFPL Promote Family Voices

Rachelle McKissick-Harris (Parent Co-Chair of the National Center for Family Parent and Leadership Advisory Council and Think Babies Michigan Parent Leader) and Kelly Walden (ECIC Policy & Outreach Manager) presented From Token to Teammate: A Simulation for Practicing Parent-Led Co-Creation at the National Head Start Association’s 2025 Parent and Family Engagement Conference.

Read more about their workshop focused on embedding parent and family voice into early childhood systems.

Leading Child Care Innovation: ECIC at BUILD 2025

ECIC staff joined early childhood systems leaders and experts from across the country at the BUILD Initiative’s Annual Conference, hosted December 2-4 in Los Angeles! ECIC’s Innovation and Evaluation experts represented Michigan’s leadership in child care innovation, presenting breakout sessions about Family Child Care Networks, pay parity, Michigan’s cross-sector child care coalitions, and more.

"It was an honor to share the important work Michigan is leading to grow a thriving child care sector, and to connect with community and state leaders on these issues from across the United States," said ECIC Vice President of Innovation and Evaluation Joan Blough.

Act Now: Tell Congress to Prioritize Families

Congress continues to negotiate on a final federal fiscal year 2026 budget. The current Continuing Resolution expires on January 30, 2026; and opportunities remain to increase funding for critical early childhood programs including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start/Early Head Start, the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five, and IDEA Part C and B Section 619.

Additionally, the Senate failed to pass an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits on Thursday, meaning that the credits will expire at the end of 2025. Michiganders that rely on the ACA Marketplace to access health care will see their premiums increase by more than double on average, as the rising cost of living already means that families struggle keeping food on the table.

What you can do: use ECIC’s Action Center now to quickly and easily contact your lawmakers, encouraging them to increase funding for essential early childhood programs while ensuring Michiganders can continue to access affordable health care.

Save the Date: Early Childhood Capitol Day 2026

Join us in Lansing! Parents, early childhood professionals, and advocates from across the state are invited to Save the Date for Early Childhood Capitol Day on April 21, 2026, co-hosted by Think Babies Michigan, Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children, Mothering Justice, and the Michigan Head Start Association. Attendees will spend the morning hearing from field experts and discussing early childhood policy and budget updates before spending the afternoon in meetings with their legislators to speak out for young children and their families. 

Space is extremely limited for this year’s event—register early to secure your space. ECIC will share registration details on social media and by email in January 2026.

Early Childhood Advocates' Corner

Join NCFPL's Next Quarterly Webinar

Families don’t fall through the cracks by accident — cracks are created by the way systems are designed, funded, and governed. NCFPL's next webinar discusses the structural reasons behind persistent barriers and spotlights communities that have redesigned their systems to be more responsive.

Thursday, January 22, 2026 

1-2 p.m. ET 

Join Our Team!

ECIC is hiring! Join our team of dreamers and doers working to support children and families. Learn more and apply today.

Providers' Corner

Infant and Toddler Caregivers: Join an MI-ITCC Cohort!

The new Michigan Infant and Toddler Caregiver Certificate (MI-ITCC) is here! Designed to provide infant and toddler professionals high-quality learning opportunities, and to support their success in early learning settings, the MI-ITCC is now available to those who are currently working with, or are interested in working with, infants and toddlers.

Earn the certificate by completing a 5-month cohort where you will engage in three types of meetings, complete training hours, and learn more about MiRegistry membership. Earn a $1,000 stipend upon completion of the cohort requirements while funding allows!

Our next cohort will start in February 2026, so complete your Interest Form now.