LANSING, MI, June 27, 2024 – This morning, the Michigan Legislature passed the FY25 state budget, which begins on October 1, 2024. The budget will now be sent for review and approval by Governor Whitmer. This budget includes provisions for continued and new investments in young children and their families. Specifically included is an increase in the child care scholarship rates to improve access for moderate-income, working families as well as continued support for ongoing investment in family child care networks, which are vital to support the state’s essential home-based providers.
Critically, the budget passed by the state legislature maintains the inclusion of community-based organizations (CBOs) as a part of the PreK for All expansion, highlighting the importance of Michigan’s mixed delivery model. It maintains the current 30% requirement that ISDs partner with CBOs, allows CBOs to access funds to expand and start new Great Start Readiness Programs (GSRP), and does not include a requirement for CBOs to reach pay parity for their GSRP teachers and those of the ISDs. The budget also provides new capacity for the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) to provide Head Start and other PreK partners with flexibility to expand PreK opportunities for families.
In response, Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) Chief Executive Officer Alicia Guevara Warren released the following statement:
“First, we want to thank the countless early childhood advocates and partners for engaging with and educating your legislators. Your voices were heard—and we must continue our efforts to educate policymakers on the importance of the earliest years. Michigan has long relied on its strong mixed delivery early care and learning system which works to meet the needs of all families. We are grateful that lawmakers have recognized the importance of community-based organizations as a critical part of reaching PreK for All in Michigan. ECIC looks forward to working with the Whitmer Administration and partners to increase access to preK for every 4-year-old in Michigan.”
In the spring of 2024, ECIC and its partners across the state sent a letter to Governor Whitmer and legislative leaders to safeguard that community-based organizations continue to play their essential part in reaching PreK for All. Nearly 1,200 parents, educators, providers, and organizations from every county across the state responded to the call to support community-based providers and quality PreK options for families.
Created in 2005 to serve as a statewide leader in early childhood, ECIC collaborates to increase public and private investment in the earliest years of children’s lives, while elevating issues affecting young children and their families, to continuously improve Michigan’s comprehensive early childhood system. Our vision is to create a future where all young children in Michigan and their families thrive.