The Bulletin

March 2023

Highlights: Early Childhood Leaders at the Capitol

Hundreds of early childhood leaders traveled to Lansing yesterday for the Early Childhood Capitol Day. Co-hosted by Michigan AEYC and Think Babies Michigan, we’re so thankful to all of the parents and families, child care providers, early educators, maternal and child health providers, school leaders, administrators, and advocates who were able to join us for a powerful day.

Participants met with their legislators carrying forward a unified message to strengthen the early childhood system.

"We're interested in educating policymakers on the issues the field is facing everyday with waitlists, closing programs, and staff turnover," Michigan AEYC Executive Director Erica Willard said. "The more we can have a coordinated message of advocacy, the easier it is for policymakers to understand what is truly needed to make a difference."

Additionally, advocates shared recent research revealing the true cost of care for the early childhood system and potential strategies to increase funding (see related story "Understanding the True Cost of Care").

"To fund the system at the true cost of care, we need an Early Childhood fund that serves as a dedicated revenue source," Alicia Guevara Warren, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, said. "Creating a dedicated Early Childhood fund within Michigan's state budget will ensure adequate compensation for the early childhood workforce, lower costs for families, and greater support for the local community infrastructure to help families access services."

Watch local news coverage.

Weren't able to join us? Watch the recorded live stream.

In the News: Understanding the True Cost of Care

In Michigan, the early childhood system is persistently underfunded. To better understand and address the broken finances of the prenatal-to-five system, Think Babies Michigan and Hope Starts Here, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education, engaged national experts, Prenatal-to-Five Fiscal Strategies and the Children’s Funding Project, to project the funding needed and potential revenue sources to achieve the shared vision established for Michigan’s young children and their families.  

Download this one-pager and learn more here. 

Be on the lookout for a webinar invitation to learn more!

The Think Babies Michigan Cross-Sector Workforce Workgroup—representative of families, early childhood professionals, and partners from across the state—convened over the past year to build on previous work to provide concrete recommendations for policymakers to better support the workforce. In its latest report, the Workgroup makes the following recommendations: 

1. Wage Scales: Establish and implement cross-sector wage scales that are aligned with the Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA) project1 led by Prenatal-to-Five Fiscal Strategies at the state-level and in Detroit. 
2. Cross-Sector Career Lattice: In collaboration and alignment with intermediate school districts (ISDs) and higher education institutions, create a cross-sector career lattice to expand professional development opportunities and pathways while ensuring it is designed with adequate support and resources for mobility up and across the field. 
3. Outreach & Education: Conduct a public awareness campaign, coordinated by public and private entities, to elevate the value of the early childhood workforce and support recruitment efforts. 
4. Implicit Bias Training: Build on the state government efforts to require implicit bias training for licensed health care workers through implementation of this requirement for those in the early childhood workforce. 

The report includes specific “asks” to support movement on these recommendations. 

Read more.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist joined our team on March 8, 2023 for a tour of the Early Learning Center in Grand Rapids, where he highlighted his work alongside U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence and Senator Debbie Stabenow to secure $2 million in federal funding to expand affordable and quality child care through ECIC’s Child Care Innovation Fund.

“As a parent, I know how important it is to lower the cost of child care for working families so that we can set our kids and families up for success,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “This investment will help entrepreneurs innovate and pilot new ways to expand access to quality, affordable child care in their communities.”

ECIC is thankful to the Lt. Governor for his leadership and advocacy. Special thanks also to our Board Chair Laurie Linscott and to our partners at Steepletown and Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative for hosting us!

Interested in learning more? Learn more here.

In the News: Governor Whitmer Announces Recipients of Regional Child Care Planning Grants

On March 10, 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced $2.4 million in Regional Child Care Planning Grants from ECIC’s Child Care Innovation Fund as part of the Caring for MI Future initiative. The 16 awardees will receive funding for coalition building and local planning to make child care more affordable and accessible for families in 81 counties across Michigan.

Learn More.

ECIC Senior Director Selected for National Fellowship

The Rockwell Leadership Institute recently announced their inaugural cohort of Prenatal-to-3 Leaders Fellows, which includes ECIC’s Senior Program Director, Donna J. Wade, who was recognized for her years of commitment to advancing the quality of care for young children. Donna has managed statewide child care initiatives in Michigan and Alaska, worked in quality assessment, instructed at conferences and in higher education on ECE initiatives, and more. ECIC is grateful to Donna for her continued leadership! 

In Policy: Acting for Young Kids & Families

Think Babies Michigan: April Coalition Meeting

Tune in to the Think Babies Michigan Virtual Coalition Meeting on April 13th to hear about the impact that Think Babies members had at the Capitol educating lawmakers about early childhood. Come to hear where early childhood stands on state lawmakers’ lists of priorities and learn how to keep the conversation going with your elected official. You’ll also hear an update on where we are in the state budget process and what else is new in the world of Think Babies Michigan. 

Register here! 

State Policy: Medicaid Changes

During the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), many changes were made to the Medicaid program's eligibility, administration, and policies to ease rules for providers and prevent Medicaid beneficiaries from losing health care coverage.  Michigan will soon restart Medicaid eligibility renewals and certain waived policies that were in place during the pandemic.  

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is preparing for these changes by sharing information with families and community partners to help support families with the updates. There is a toolkit for partners to help spread the word, along with other resources.  

ICYMI: Podcast - How Gov. Whitmer's Universal Pre-K Plan Impacts Early Childhood

Earlier this month, ECIC’s CEO, Dawne Bell, spoke with Michigan’s Children’s, Speaking for Kids host Matt Gillard to explore Governor Whitmer's proposal on universal pre-k for all of the state’s 4-year-olds. 

Listen in. 

Federal Policy: President Biden Releases Budget Proposal

Last week, President Biden released his FY24 budget, which included the largest investment in early care and learning programs ever proposed in a presidential budget. The proposal includes $22.1 billion for existing early care and education programs, up 10.5% from the 2023 enacted level, including $9 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and $13.2 billion for Head Start. Also included in the budget recommendations are funds for a federal-state partnership that would provide high-quality, free preschool, expanding access to all 4-year-olds, a dramatic increase from the estimated 1.6 million children now in preschool programs. 

The presidential budget would permanently extend the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to the 19 million children who currently receive a partial credit or none at all because their families’ incomes are too low. And it permanently allows families to receive the credit on a monthly basis. The budget also temporarily increases the amount of the credit through 2025 (when policymakers must revisit tax policy because of the expiration of the individual tax cuts in the 2017 tax law). 

Read more. 

Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit: Nomination Form for The Emerging Star, The Champion Change-maker Awards

ECIC's partners at Michigan's Children will be recognizing two amazing advocates next month at the Michele Corey Child Advocacy Summit and are currently seeking nominations. Nominations must be submitted by Thursday, April 6, 2023. The candidate must be someone who has demonstrated a commitment and passion to advocacy for children, youth and families in Michigan.

Learn More.

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Provider's Corner 

You're Invited: What the Governor's Budget Means for Child Care Programs

In collaboration with the Michigan Department of Education, Early Childhood Investment Corporation, Hope Starts Here, and Vibrant Futures, the Governor’s Office is hosting a 30-minute virtual update for child care leaders, directors, and entrepreneurs "What the Governor’s Budget Means for Child Care Programs".

Join us on Monday, March 20th from 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. as we discuss the Governor’s proposed budget, including child care and Pre-K for All, and ask participants for feedback about how to make these proposals even more effective for kids, families, child care professionals, and child care businesses.