On Tuesday, August 20, Solutions Learning Group’s Lakeside Center in Muskegon hosted some important guests. Representative Will Snyder of the 87th District, his Aide Jason Colella as well as Alan Oman and Terrell Couch of Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC),and Christina Achterhoff, District Representative for Senator Bumstead (R – Muskegon) visited the Lakeside Center to learn more about early childhood care in Muskegon.
Ms. Stephanie Marion, the Owner and Founder of Solutions Learning Group, Toni Garcia, CEO of the Solutions Learning Group, and Ebony Ervin, Director of the Lakeside Center welcomed and shared their expertise and experience with the guests. Nearly a year ago, Solutions Learning Group began participating in the Infant Toddler Quality Improvement (ITQI) Pilot Program.
The Infant and Toddler Quality Improvement Pilot Program allowed 195 child care programs to improve capacity by offering financial support for teacher recruitment which allowed 491 infants and 672 toddlers to enroll in child care across the state. Because of their participation in the pilot, Ms. Marion’s Solutions Learning Group was able to add 4 new staff. “We are so grateful to be able to provide for our staff and to improve our program.” said Ms. Marion.
The group spent time together on August 20 discussing the impact of the ITQI grant and also the importance of quality care for young children. The group of adults spent time discussing how legislative policies affected child care businesses as well as how important it was to provide staff with living wages. Alan Oman, Senior Advisor at ECIC, remarked, “Spending time with dedicated staff and the children they care for in such an exceptional center highlights the importance of ensuring access for all Michigan families. It’s essential for all of us—elected representatives, small business owners, families, and advocates—to work together to strengthen supports for child care programs that are so vital to families and our state’s economic wellbeing.”
Representative Snyder spent time reading a book to the children and everyone was smiling during the facility tour. Ms. Marion, the CFO and Owner of Solutions Learning Group shared that the visit energized staff. Ms. Marion summed up the day by saying, “Sometimes it feels like no one knows the value of what we do but the energy around the visit really made us feel seen. Early childhood care for is critical to our communities and our families. Being able to highlight the essential work of child care, the role of small businesses in the community and the impact of increased capacity for quality care due to the ITQI pilot all in one day made for a busy but important day.”
To learn more about the ITQI grant and the impact it has had on infant and toddler care across the state so far, please visit ECIC’s impact brief.