This important series builds on our work covering early education issues and innovation in Southeast Michigan. Focusing on what both parents and providers are experiencing, we dive into what's working (and what's not), and who is uncovering solutions. The series is made possible with funding from the Southeast Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative.
Among our state's children experiencing mental illness, more than a third are not receiving care, according to a recent report. Parents and childcare advocates showed up at a virtual forum recently to ask local candidates running for Michigan’s State House what they plan to do about it.
The national average wage for a child care worker is now $13.22 per hour, and nearly 90,000 people have left the industry in the last two years. In Michigan, the shortage has left thousands of parents waiting for open spots in struggling facilities. Parents and childcare advocates showed up at a virtual forum recently to ask local candidates running for Michigan’s State House this November about solutions.
"The real-life impact that a quality early childhood education has on every aspect of all our lives – even if we’re not parents or grandparents becomes apparent when you compare children who’ve been afforded high-quality early experiences and those who have not," says Denise Smith, implementation director for Hope Starts Here Detroit Early Childhood Partnership. "The adults who end up working in every aspect of our society—their early starts shape how they show up in those roles."
In partnership with Model D and the Southeast Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, we're spending the next two months exploring the state of early education and childhood care in our region. We'll be reporting on what parents and providers are experiencing right now, what’s working and what’s not, and who is uncovering solutions.
“Right now, we’re in dire straits," says the executive director of Child Care Network in Ann Arbor. She isn't alone. As the nationwide child care crisis rolls on, here’s what Michigan child care providers are experiencing regionally in Port Huron, Detroit, and Ann Arbor.
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