Lawmakers consider ‘Child Care for All Plan’ as parents, daycare centers struggle

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Finding affordable child care is a challenge for parents. It comes as many day care centers struggle to stay open.

Michigan has lost almost 40 percent of its childcare capacity due to COVID-19, making it a struggle for Lansing parents like Dani Douglas to find affordable daycare.

"I can't afford $500 for my child [daycare] because that's my paycheck. So, at that point you have to look at it like is it worth going to work," Douglas said.

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

"Childcare is simply unaffordable for many families not just low-income families," acknowledged Sacha Klein, an Associate Professor at Michigan State University's School of Social Work. "Childcare businesses therefore have this pressure to charge less and less and less as a result and at some point you hit a breaking point."

While parents across the state continue to struggle to find affordable child care options, day care centers say their struggling to.

The Executive Director of the Educational Childcare Center in Lansing, Christina Wood, said it's a challenge to provide their staff with a livable wage and keep prices down.

"It's very concerning as they are going to raise the minimum wage, and the costs are going to continue to rise, and we're going to be forced to put that cost onto the families, which is already a struggle," Wood admitted.

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

"We would be able to attract more workers even just offering that benefit because then they have more on their paycheck their not just coming to work to pay for childcare. which would give us more money to be able to invest in our buildings and invest in our teachers," Wood explained.

The state budget includes more money to help low-income families pay for daycare. The new Child Care for All bills are waiting to be moved out of committee.

for more information on the plan.