Advocate for Michigan’s Youngest Learners: Early Childhood Capitol Day | |
Early Childhood Capitol Day is coming up on Tuesday, April 21st! While in-person registration is full, you can join advocates across the state by engaging virtually.
First, check out Think Babies Michigan’s Early Childhood Budget Advocacy Toolkit, which offers tools to engage confidently during this Fiscal Year 2027 state budget season. It includes social media resources, template emails and call scripts, numerous issue-based resources, and strategies for connecting with your state legislators.
Then, take action virtually on Tuesday, April 21 by posting on your social media pages telling lawmakers to fund early childhood in Michigan’s FY2027 budget. Use the toolkit to access sample captions and graphics made specifically for this Day of Action! Be sure to tag your state lawmakers and use the hashtag #BudgetForBabies.
Finally, make sure every state lawmaker hears about our Early Childhood Capitol Day priorities by sending a message through ECIC’s Action Center. Simply enter your name and address information, personalize your message – and suggest a meeting, if comfortable – and hit send! Together, we will ensure our state’s youngest kids are at the center of Michigan’s next state budget.
You can also track how early childhood priorities are moving through the budget process using ECIC’s FY27 Budget Tracker, which provides timely updates throughout the legislative cycle.
| Five Years of Progress: CCIF 2025 Impact At a Glance | Since ECIC’s Child Care Innovation Fund (CCIF) began five years ago, it has evolved from a small pilot fund to a statewide engine for child care innovation, now reaching every county in Michigan. Partnering with national, state, regional, and community leaders to design, pilot, and scale innovative, cross-sector solutions; CCIF’s learnings inform policy, practice, and education to build a stronger, more sustainable child care system. | | |
In 2025 alone, CCIF disbursed $4.8M through 40 grants to achieve the following:
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Early Care and Education Apprenticeships: 441 apprentices trained across 40 employers, gaining on-the-job experience, mentorship, and nationally recognized credentials.
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Family Child Care Networks: 30 networks funded to support 479 home-based child care businesses and 84 license-exempt providers across 50+ counties, improving licensing, program quality, and professional development.
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Regional Child Care Coalitions: 10 Coalitions advancing community-based, cross-sector solutions to address the child care crisis. Each coalition added new members, worked on 62 different strategies to build child care supply, and contributed to 14 changes in local policies, practices, priorities and resources helping to increase child care supply in their regions.
Through these efforts, CCIF strengthens child care as a critical part of Michigan’s economy while increasing access, quality, and affordability for families.
| | ECIC Foundation: ECIC launches philanthropic arm to strengthen early childhood support for families, communities, and workforce | | |
Two decades after the Early Childhood Investment Corporation's creation, we're thrilled to announce the launch of the ECIC Foundation, which provides a philanthropic and advocacy-focused vehicle to advance shared goals in ways that public structures alone cannot.
The ECIC Foundation will focus on initiatives that align with ECIC’s mission and advance a strong, equitable early childhood system, while working to diversify funding, deepen partnerships, and increase impact. By engaging private philanthropy, corporate partners, and individual supporters, the Foundation will help catalyze innovation and build knowledge, ensure voices of families and early childhood professionals are centered in public policy, and invest in long-term change that supports the growth, development, and well-being of young children and their families in Michigan.
While ECIC plays a critical public role in leading, partnering, and supporting early childhood initiatives, the organization is limited in the types of funding it can accept and in the ways it can advocate.
The ECIC Foundation addresses these gaps by:
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Unlocking new funding: Attracting philanthropic, corporate, and individual investments that are not always accessible to public or quasi-public entities.
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Supporting innovation: Providing flexible resources to test new ideas, seed promising approaches, build knowledge for the sector, and scale what works.
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Advocating for families and the workforce: Advancing awareness and advocacy efforts that elevate the needs of young children, families, and the early childhood workforce.
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Strengthening partnerships: Acting as a bridge between public institutions, community organizations, philanthropy, and the private sector.
Read the full announcement here and join us as one of the first to support this important work by donating directly to the ECIC Foundation here.
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In Policy: New Advocacy Resources
State Policy
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Dedicated Early Childhood Fund Brief
This brief highlights the importance of dedicated, sustainable funding for early childhood systems in Michigan and how targeted investments support families, providers, and the early childhood workforce.
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Investing in the Early Years: Child Care
This brief provides an overview of Michigan’s child care system and the importance of strong, stable supports to ensure access, quality, and affordability for families while ensuring the child care workforce is adequately compensated.
| | Early Childhood Advocates' Corner | | Save the Date for the Inaugural First Steps, Bright Futures Fundraiser | |
The ECIC Foundation is hosting its inaugural First Steps, Bright Futures fundraiser to expand the impact of ECIC’s work in the early childhood space and unlock new opportunities for innovation and advocacy on behalf of young children.
The evening will bring together leaders from business, philanthropy, government, and early childhood to celebrate progress, share a vision for the future, and raise money to strengthen early childhood efforts across Michigan.
We invite you to join us for the event and consider sponsoring to be a part of what promises to be a nostalgic, magical evening.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
Grewal Hall at 224, 224 S Washington Square, Lansing, MI 48933
| Detroit Community Members: Join us for the 2026 Early Childhood Policy Table | |
On April 25th, you can help shape early childhood policies that really make a difference for children and families!
Join Detroit-based early childhood education professionals, health professionals, parents, caregivers, advocates, and organizations in discussing the importance of investing in Detroit's youngest residents.
This community event will focus on creating space for providers and families to understand the early childhood policy priorities of Hope Starts Here, and learn how to use their voices and experiences to advocate for their needs.
We will be hosting roundtable conversations, and state and federal representatives are invited to attend and speak with their constituents. Lend your voice to community conversations, meet your representatives, and share the importance of investing in Detroit families, children, and early care and education professionals.
Child care will be available on-site. Light breakfast and snacks will be served. Street and lot parking available.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Chroma | 2937 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202
| | Turn the Table 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.
Next session: Thursday, April 23, 12:00 PM EST
Questions? Contact FPL@ecic4kids.org.
Recordings available on the NCFPL website.
| | NCFPL Webinar: Breakthroughs and Bright Spots — What Works | | |
This webinar celebrates real wins in parent leadership nationwide and offers a blueprint, showcasing how centering family voices drives expanded child care access, integrated mental health supports, stronger trust in services, and policies shaped by those who know the system best.
Participants will leave with a toolkit of proven strategies to adapt locally.
When: May 7, 2026 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Questions? Contact FPL@ecic4kids.org.
Recordings available on the NCFPL website.
| | Celebrating Michigan’s Youngest Learners During Week of the Young Child | | |
Join ECIC in celebrating the Week of the Young Child (#WOYC26), hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, April 11–17, 2026.
This week highlights the importance of investing in children, families, and communities and showcases the systems that help every Michigan child thrive.
Across Michigan, ECIC is proud to partner with educators, families, and communities to build strong early childhood systems.
Explore activities and resources on NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child page.
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In Case You Missed It: ECIC In the News | | Get Involved: In the Community | | Wage Initiative TA Contractor RFP | |
ECIC’s Child Care Innovation Fund seeks a vendor to provide technical assistance for Early Care and Education municipal financing strategies and support sustainability planning for Michigan’s Early Childhood Educator Wage Initiative.
Responsibilities include developing resources, consulting with Regional Child Care Coalitions, and facilitating a learning event.
Deadline: April 24, 2026 | 5:00 p.m. EST
RFP details can be found on the ECIC Child Care Innovation Fund webpage.
Questions? Contact technicalassistance@ecic4kids.org.
| National Infant Immunization Week | April 20–27 | | |
National Infant Immunization Week highlights the importance of keeping babies and toddlers up to date on vaccines to protect against serious diseases.
Families and communities can participate by scheduling well-child visits, sharing resources, and joining local events, while supporting healthcare providers and raising awareness about vaccine safety.
Learn more here.
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