LANSING, Mich. – Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist on March 8th, joined the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) for a tour of the Early Learning Center in Grand Rapids. Lt. Governor Gilchrist highlighted his work alongside Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and Senator Debbie Stabenow to secure $2 million in federal funding to expand affordable and quality child care through ECIC’s Child Care Innovation fund. The fund pilots innovative regional programs to support child care entrepreneurs, boost access to affordable, quality child care, and lower the cost of child care for working families. 

“As a parent, I know how important it is to lower the cost of child care for working families so that we can set our kids and families up for success,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “This $2 million investment in Michigan’s child care accelerator will help talented child care entrepreneurs innovate and pilot new ways to expand access to quality, affordable child care in their communities. Governor Whitmer and I are committed to building on this progress, and I look forward to continued work alongside our partners to lower the cost of child care for working families.” 

To date, the Child Care Innovation Fund has awarded 16 innovation awards and served 33 counties and tribes across the state. This additional federal funding will support four to six additional demonstration projects for 12 months. Each demonstration project will be eligible for $200,000 to $400,000 in most cases. Entrepreneurs interested in applying to the Child Care Innovation Fund should visit www.ecic4kids.org/child-care-innovation-fund to sign up for updates. 

“An investment in our children is an investment in our future,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow. “This critical support will help the Michigan Early Childhood Investment Corporation lower costs for families and expand access to affordable, quality child care across the state.” 

“I was proud to work with Lt. Governor Gilchrist and ECIC to secure $2 million to support the Child Care Innovation Fund,” said Former Rep. Brenda Lawrence. “These federal resources will support efforts to drive innovation in the child care sector, including recruiting and training an early childhood workforce. Throughout my time in office, I championed efforts to increase child care affordability and accessibility, and I look forward to seeing how ECIC and the Whitmer/Gilchrist administration make that a reality for all Michiganders.” 

“Michigan families need high-quality, affordable child care – and finding care that meets their needs is challenging,” said Dawne Bell, CEO, Early Childhood Investment Corporation. “Michigan’s early childhood programs need greater investment to offer competitive wages and attract and retain top talent to work with our state’s youngest learners. The Child Care Innovation Fund is piloting solutions that work for child care professionals, business owners, kids, and families. We are ready to put these federal resources to work and activate four to six new demonstration sites to help Michigan continue to accelerate innovative child care solutions.”

Expanding Access to Child Care 

Governor Whitmer has made historic investments to expand access to quality, affordable child care for 150,000 more kids. She set a goal to open 1,000 more child care programs by the end of 2024 and launched Caring for MI Future – a $100 million strategy to get there – as well as Our Strong Start, a resource hub for child care entrepreneurs to get licensed and connect with grant opportunities. In her FY 2024 budget, Governor Whitmer proposed new tax credits to help recruit and retain child care and preschool teachers and put forward a plan to expand Michigan’s bipartisan preschool program – the Great Start Readiness Program – to all 110,000 4-year-olds in Michigan by the end of her second term, saving families $10,000 a year.