{"id":10945,"date":"2025-03-12T13:08:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/?p=10945"},"modified":"2025-03-12T13:08:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:08:47","slug":"positive-impacts-of-pilot-program-to-strengthen-child-care-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/positive-impacts-of-pilot-program-to-strengthen-child-care-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive impacts of\u00a0pilot program to\u00a0strengthen child care industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>LANSING, Mich., March 7, 2025:\u00a0The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP)<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0partner organizations\u00a0released a report today<\/a>\u00a0highlighting the positive impacts of\u00a0a pilot program\u00a0to\u00a0increase wages for\u00a0child care\u00a0professionals\u00a0in order to\u00a0improve\u00a0child care\u00a0access and affordability for Michigan families.\u00a0The\u00a0report highlights the pilot program\u2019s \u201csubstantial positive change\u201d on staffing and quality of care, and its findings will be used\u00a0to inform\u00a0additional\u00a0upcoming efforts, including\u00a0a second pilot program launching later this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichigan’s child care providers serve an absolutely critical role for children, families, employers, and our economy as a whole, and we know that by investing in them, we are investing in our state\u2019s overall success,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea,<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>director of MiLEAP. \u201cMiLEAP is continuing to collaborate with partners across the state to find ways to attract and retain high-quality child care professionals, expanding space for more children, and giving more options for Michigan\u2019s families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we work with partners across the state to expand access to affordable child care, we continue to hear that child care professionals need more support to stay and thrive in this industry,\u201d said\u00a0Emily Laidlaw,<\/em> deputy director of Early Education at MiLEAP. \u201cOur recent pilot demonstrated the impact higher wages has on recruitment and retention, and we are continuing to work with our partners to find ways to replicate the effort across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order ensure Michigan has a robust child care industry that has the capacity to meet the unique needs of all working families, we need to invest in early childhood educators,\u201d said\u00a0Alicia Guevara,<\/em> CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). \u201cIncreasing compensation both recognizes and helps keep highly skilled early educators in the industry to ensure more high-quality early care and education programs are available for families. We will continue to work with MiLEAP and the thousands of dedicated child care providers in Michigan to find ways to grow and strengthen the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

For families seeking child care options, visit the\u00a0greatstarttoquality.org\/find-programs\/. For families with children turning 4 before Dec. 1, 2025, enrollment will open soon for FREE high-quality PreK for the 2025-26 school year. Visit\u00a0MIPreKforAll.org<\/a>\u00a0to find programs near you that meet your family\u2019s unique needs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LANSING, Mich., March 7, 2025:\u00a0The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP)\u00a0and\u00a0partner organizations\u00a0released a report today\u00a0highlighting the positive impacts of\u00a0a pilot program\u00a0to\u00a0increase wages for\u00a0child care\u00a0professionals\u00a0in order to\u00a0improve\u00a0child care\u00a0access and affordability for Michigan families.\u00a0The\u00a0report highlights the pilot program\u2019s \u201csubstantial positive change\u201d on staffing and quality of care, and its findings will be used\u00a0to inform\u00a0additional\u00a0upcoming<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_rtcl_gb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[246],"class_list":["post-10945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-michigan"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t