(C) Common Dreams
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Michigan's Childcare Crisis: Families and providers struggle amid rising costs [1]
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Date: 2024-09
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich.—The childcare crisis in Michigan is putting increasing pressure on both parents and providers.
Rising costs, coupled with insufficient state support, are making affordable, quality care difficult to access.
This is affecting parents’ ability to work and support their families, while providers struggle to maintain operations.
“Two out of three children in Michigan under six years old have both parents in the workforce,” said Anne Kuhnen, Kids Count Policy Director at the Michigan League for Public Policy.
“These are kids who absolutely need access to a high-quality childcare program where their parents feel safe, taking them while they’re at work.”
According to Kuhnen, most funding for childcare in Michigan comes from federal sources, not state funds.
“Eighty-five percent of our child care dollars come from federal funding, so this lack of state support makes it difficult for parents to access public scholarships.”
Childcare providers are also feeling the strain.
Kimberly Esper, Director of Little Hawks Childcare & Learning Center, highlighted the difficulty in balancing the cost of running a center with paying staff fair wages.
“It’s a balance that I think every childcare center is struggling with right now,” Esper said.
“It would be very beneficial if we could have some funding to help alleviate the stress between not charging parents too much, while still providing quality care.”
Jenna Gregory, Assistant Unit Director at the Teen Center in Bay City, pointed out staffing challenges as a major issue for organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs.
“We have a staffing shortage issue right now there are way more kids than there are staff.”
David Brown, Kids Campus Director at the Boys and Girls Clubs, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem.
“We definitely know that COVID has had some effect especially in the business that we’re in right now, with childcare. It’s really expensive.”
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[1] Url:
https://midmichigannow.com/news/special-reports/michigans-childcare-crisis-families-and-providers-struggle-amid-rising-costs
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