The Bulletin

December 2023

New Tools to Help You Elevate Family & Parent Leadership

ECIC is thrilled to share that the National Center for Family & Parent Leadership’s (NCFPL) new website, parentleadership.org, is now live! Parentleadership.org is a launching pad for states, organizations, communities, and other early childhood systems leaders to embed

equity-focused family and parent leadership as their new way of operating.  

NCFPL’s new website welcomes you to the table by sharing important core beliefs and practices essential to equity-focused work. You’ll also find an array of capacity-building, or capacity-sharing opportunities, a library of webinars featuring top early childhood experts, advocates, and parent leaders, and digital resources on best practices for embedding family and parent leadership.

We invite you to learn more about the National Center for Family & Parent Leadership and help us spread the word about the new website by using our digital toolkit, which includes sample social media, graphics, and an email template. If you have any questions or are interested in partnering with us, please contact ECIC’s National Center for Family & Parent Leadership team at fpl@ecic4kids.org. 

STATE

Celebrating 2023 Policy Wins for Young Children and Their Families

As the year winds down, please join us in thanking members of the Think Babies Michigan coalition and ECIC’s many parent leaders, providers, state agency and advocacy partners for their passion and commitment to advocating for Michigan’s youngest children and their families. Thanks to their contributions, early childhood policy wins in Michigan this year include: 

• Creation of the new Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), which will oversee several programs formerly in the Michigan Department of Education, including the Office of Great Start. 
• Commitment from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services to update its publicly available Green Book of Key Program Statistics to disaggregate service recipient data for children under the age of five by race/ethnicity and child age starting in March 2024, facilitating the equitable distribution of resources. 
• Maintenance of COVID-era child care subsidy program improvements that raised the family income threshold to 200% of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) and stabilized child care businesses by basing subsidy reimbursement on child enrollment rather than attendance. 
• Allocation of $36.5 million to implement an Infant Toddler Quality Grant Pilot Program to stabilize and expand the availability of high quality, subsidized infant/toddler care.   
• FY24 budget funding to waive the 5-year waiting period for documented child and pregnant immigrants to access Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; and HB 4740, which would codify this change in state law, voted favorably out of committee. 

Read on for more early childhood policy wins, and see what's on the horizon for 2024.

ICYMI: Michelle Richard Named Acting Director of Newly Launched MiLEAP 

On December 1st, Governor Gretchen Whitmer officially launched operation of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). Congratulations to Michelle Richard, who will be serving as MiLEAP’s Acting Director. 

Get Involved: In the Community

Registration is Now Open! Recruiting & Engaging Fathers as Parent Leaders   

Thursday, January 18, 2024

12 - 1 p.m.

Dads matter! Their involvement in the lives of their children, as well as advocating for children and involvement in decision-making for services for children is critical, valuable, and much needed. Too often, early childhood systems leave dads out, excluding them either by overlooking them or undervaluing their abilities, contributions, and interests.  

Join the National Center for Family and Parent Leadership for a webinar on January 18, 2024 from noon - 1 p.m. ET featuring experts in fatherhood initiatives to learn effective ways to recruit and engage fathers as you work to embed family and parent leadership as your new way of working. 

Provider's Corner 

Market Rate Survey Now Live

If you are a licensed child care provider in Michigan, the state wants to hear from you! 

The Child Development and Care (CDC) program helps many Michigan families pay for child care. In the past, the child care assistance payment rates have increased because providers like you completed a survey regarding child care prices. Do not miss this opportunity to help influence future assistance payment rates.

Even if you do not accept child care assistance payments, information about the prices you charge will help to make sure that the program’s reimbursement rates are fair. 

When you finish the survey, you will be entered into a random drawing for one of ten e-gift cards worth $150 each. 

If you have questions about completing the survey for multiple locations or need help completing the survey, please contact the survey team at 1-844-985-1290 or ppa@publicpolicy.com. 

MI Early Childhood System Needs Assessment

If you currently work in early childhood, previously worked in the early childhood system in Michigan within the past two years, or are currently enrolled in an early childhood training and education program, please complete the survey below. The survey asks about your experiences, training, career plans, and concerns to help state administrators better understand the challenges, needs, gaps, and opportunities to improve the early childhood workforce in Michigan for long-term sustainability.

Your insight is valuable and appreciated!