Lawmakers Consider 'Child Care for All Plan' as Parents, Daycares Struggle

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Finding affordable child care is a challenge for parents. This comes at a time when many daycare centers are struggling to stay open.

Michigan has lost nearly 40% of its child care capacity due to COVID-19, making it difficult for Lansing parents like Dani Douglas to find affordable child care.

“I can’t pay $500 for my son (daycare) because that’s my salary. So, at that point you have to see if it’s worth working,” said Douglas.

According to a study by the U.S. and Michigan Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the state is losing $2.8 billion in economic gains and workforce productivity due to a lack of of reliable child care.

“Child care is simply unaffordable for many families, and not just for low-income families,” acknowledged Sacha Klein, associate professor at the Michigan State University School of Social Work. “Child care companies therefore have this pressure to charge less and less and less and at some point you reach a breaking point.”

As parents across the state continue to struggle to find affordable child care options, day care centers say they are struggling to do so.

Lansing Educational Child Care Center Executive Director Christina Wood said it is a challenge to provide her employees with a living wage and keep prices low.

“It’s very worrying because they’re going to increase the minimum wage and the costs are going to continue to rise, and we’re going to be forced to place that cost on families, which is already a struggle,” admitted Wood.

State lawmakers are considering the Child Care for All Plan, which includes more child care subsidy opportunities and a tax credit for parents, giving them $5,500 a year for each child.

“We would be able to attract more workers, even just by offering this benefit, because then they would have more in their paycheck, rather than just coming to work to pay for child care. which would give us more money to be able to invest in our buildings and our teachers,” Wood explained.

The state budget includes more money to help low-income families pay for child care. The new Child Care for All bills are waiting to be removed from committee.

Click here for more information about the plan.

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