August 2022

• Summer Child Care Stabilization – Time is Running Out!
• Feedback Request - Early Childhood Standards
• New License Exempt Provider Resources 
• On-Site Observation Tools 
• Administrator/Director Position Titles
• MiAEYC Masters Degree Scholarship

The Michigan Department of Education Summer Child Care Stabilization Grant application closes September 9, 2022. Time is running out; there are only 10 days left! Award letters will be issued on September 30 with payments to providers the first week of October. 

This is a non-competitive grant, and every eligible child care provider that submits a complete application will receive a grant award, so we encourage you to apply! 

Check out the Summer grant page for more information and grant updates as they become available.

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Great Start wants to hear from you! MDE is opening Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Birth to Kindergarten for public feedback. This document will be used to support the growth and development of all children, birth through kindergarten, throughout the state. It will also support early childhood professionals in recognizing their individual developmental paths and expressions of learning, and guide programs toward improved quality in their operations.

All feedback must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on September 21, 2022. 

New License Exempt Provider Resources

License Exempt Providers are an important part of the child care system in Michigan. You can learn more about License Exempt Provider requirements and resources on our new License Exempt webpages on greatstarttoquality.org!

Under the "Families" menu, you will find an License Exempt Provider webpage that helps families understand what a License Exempt Provider is, information on ways to qualify and apply for child care assistance, and direction on how families with young children can check their eligibility for subsidy.

You will also find an License Exempt Provider page under the "Providers" menu. This page is specific to those individuals looking to become an License Exempt Provider. Interested child care providers will learn about the requirements to be a License Exempt Provider and can access two subpages with additional information on Great Start to Quality Orientation (GSQO) and additional resources for ongoing training. 

Check out and share our new webpages for License Exempt Providers and families today! 

On-Site Observation Tools

Great Start to Quality currently uses the Program Quality Assessment (PQA) for Early Childhood Programs as the on-site assessment tool for early childhood programs and the school age PQA for out-of-school time only programs. Beginning in February, not only is the language “On-Site Assessment” changing to “On-Site Observation,” there will be multiple tools for programs to choose from. 

More information on each of these tools is available on our website. We encourage you to start learning about each tool to see what might be the best option for your program.

https://greatstarttoquality.org/on-site-observation/

As always, if you have any questions, reach out to the Assessment Team at assessment@ecic4kids.org

Administrator/Director Position Titles 

What position titles can be connected to the Administrator/Director section of the Classrooms Tab? 

To connect an individual to the Administrator/Director section of the Classrooms Tab, the individual must have one of the following position titles:

• Owner/Operator (Family Child Care)
• Administrator/Director/Schoolage Site Supervisor
• Assistant Director

If the individual does not have one of the above position titles, they should log into their individual account in MiRegistry and add a new position with the correct title. If the individual is currently in membership processing with MiRegistry, their account is locked and will not allow them to make the change. Please ask them to email validation@ecic4kids.org with the following information: 

• Individual ID number or email address associated with their individual account
• Hire Date
• Number of hours worked a week
• Number of months worked a year
• Age group is working with
• Position title



Great Start to Quality will add the Employment information within 24 business hours. Any changes to position titles to support proper connection as an employee to the organization can be addressed by emailing validation@ecic4kids.org.

Michigan AEYC is awarding a limited number of T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Michigan Master’s Degree Scholarships to support early childhood professionals working with Michigan’s infant and toddler population, ages 0 – 2. The Master’s degree scholarship allows professionals working in the field of early childhood education to earn a graduate degree in early childhood education, Child Development, or a Birth-Kindergarten Teaching Certificate Endorsement. The scholarship provides a stipend to cover most of the cost toward the required coursework. In addition, applicants may be eligible for a reimbursement of Winter/Spring Semester 2022 and Summer Semester 2022 tuition.

Visit the Michigan AEYC website to learn about eligibility and to apply for a scholarship. For questions, contact the Michigan AEYC office by email at teach@miaeyc.org or visit www.miaeyc.org to use our online chat.

Great Start to Quality is on Facebook! Like and follow our page to get the latest updates for you and resources to share with your colleagues and families. 

If you are thinking about how to maintain or continue making quality improvements, or if you’re ready to learn more and need help, contact your local Great Start to Quality Resource Center by calling 1-877-614-7328 or visit www.greatstarttoquality.org.