Child care in Michigan

The state ranks above national averages in several key areas that indicate success for young children, but still falls short in some, according to newly compiled data.

With an estimated 9,000 openings around the state, childcare providers are struggling to serve families desperate for care.

The number of children attending school in buildings with vaccination rates less than 90 percent has doubled since 2015. Check out the rate of elementary schools statewide.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a new state education budget that expands Pre-K access, boosts per-pupil funding and invests in training new teachers. More education policy changes are coming too.

The aim is to improve educational outcomes from early childhood through after-school and postsecondary programs, with the goal of every Michigan student earning a skill certificate or degree after high school.

Research on Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) shows that kids who have a high-quality preschool experience show significant positive developmental differences as compared to children who do not attend a high-quality preschool program. They also have a greater likelihood of success in many areas throughout life, research shows.

Democrats say change would benefit working-class candidates. Republicans question ‘carve out’ for politicians.

Child care providers who attended Monday’s rally in Detroit say they don’t receive enough funding to pay their staff and themselves adequate salaries.

State Superintendent Michael Rice urges the Michigan Legislature to quickly fund a full-time state preschool program, more tutors, free lunches and improve school buildings.

A classroom at half capacity in Detroit would have lost $74,000 in funding this year. So the provider shut it down.

From free school lunches and community college to water line improvements and subsidized field trips to Michigan’s state parks, the Democrat outlines her wish list. It could look very different once it’s approved.

In her Wednesday budget presentation, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will propose new spending to expand preschool eligibility, hire more teachers and boost transportation funding to help 4-year-olds attend.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to expand the state’s free preschool program to all 4-year-olds, regardless of income. An MSU researcher who studies the Great Start Readiness Program explains what makes it work.

Universal pre-K is good for kids and the economy. But it’s expensive and the state faces several hurdles, including teacher shortages and a lack of transportation options for the 4-year-olds.

There are far more so-called 'childcare deserts' than officials feared. The consequences could be vast.

In approving the state’s education budget early Friday morning, the GOP legislature and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also added investment in school safety measures and the teacher pension system, thanks to unexpectedly high state revenues this year.

The package, signed Thursday by Gov. Whitmer, contains a range of changes to child care law, from minor procedural fixes to major changes in the state’s method of supporting private providers.

Michigan officials launched the pilot, called Strong Beginnings, on the premise that high-quality education has profound benefits for all early learners, not just those who are a year away from kindergarten.

The state plans to invest in child care buildings, educator training, and startup grants using federal COVID-19 aid.

A consortium of newsrooms led by the nonprofit newsroom MuckRock is requesting child care data through Michigan Freedom of Information requests and conducting a first-of-its-kind data analysis of child care records. They will have stories and data to share in the coming weeks.