“Child care is essential for working families so parents can go to work knowing their kids are safe and cared for,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “This grant from the Biden-Harris administration will invest in our early childhood educators, improving their pay and benefits, drive down costs for families, and support our kids. Since I took office, we have prioritized child care, helping to open or expand more than 1,000 child care centers so families have more options and starting innovative programs like Tri-Share that cut monthly child care costs for parents by 66%. Let’s keep working with our federal partners and state legislature to improve access to safe, high-quality, and affordable child care for all Michigan families.” 

“MiLEAP is committed to collaborating with our partners to strengthen and expand our child care workforce, which is critical to Michigan children, families and our economy,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of MiLEAP. “The Biden-Harris Administration recognized MiLEAP’s vision to use these federal funds to grow existing efforts to improve the talent pipeline and retain great child care professionals in the field. These programs will help us support child care professionals so they can focus on supporting Michigan’s children and families.” 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Renewal (PDG B-5) grant program improves states' early childhood landscapes by building on existing federal, state, and local early care and learning investments. In Michigan, MiLEAP and its partners will use the new grant to: 

• Make the child care sector more attractive for top talent by creating a consortium to make it easier for employers to offer healthcare and retirement benefits for early childhood educators. 

• Build on local and regional efforts to improve wages for child care professionals while keeping child care affordable for families.  

• Expand local efforts to hire and deploy substitute educators to ensure child care business can stay open and provide safe care when someone is out sick.  

• Double down on the state’s commitment to quality care by investing in child care educators and providing free trainings in early literacy, support for children with disabilities, and more to strengthen the industry’s ability to provide the best care to all of Michigan’s children.  

Organizations representing Michigan’s business community and early childhood education supported Michigan’s grant proposal and will collaborate with MiLEAP on implementing and assessing the impact of the grant programs.  

“Affordable, accessible child care is critical for both employers and working parents. At SBAM, we're proud to back innovative solutions aimed at strengthening the child care workforce,” said Brian Calley, President & CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan. “This grant supports our ongoing efforts to support the child care industry and its infrastructure, ultimately benefiting not only child care providers but also the many businesses that depend on working parents.” 

“ECIC is thrilled that Michigan will receive a federal PDG B-5 grant award to further invest in the well-being of our youngest children and families,” said Alicia Guevara Warren, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). “With MiLEAP’s leadership and collaborative partners across the state, the PDG B-5 grant award will build on the great work being done to improve the early childhood system and will accelerate results. ECIC is looking forward to our continued partnerships to support the next phase of work.”  

“Addressing the barriers faced by employees, business owners, and families in Michigan’s early childhood education system will take innovative thinking and new approaches, and this grant will help accelerate our ongoing efforts,” said Kathy Szenda Wilson, co-executive director of Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute. “We will work to engage the business community, which depends on a robust child care delivery network across the state, to address systemic issues and improve outcomes for the families and our economy as a whole.” 

About MiLEAP: 
Established by Governor Whitmer in 2023, MiLEAP’s mission is to improve outcomes from preschool to postsecondary so anyone can ‘make it in Michigan’ with a solid education and a path to a good-paying job. To learn more about MiLEAP, go to Michigan.gov/MiLEAP.