On September 18, 2024, in East Lansing, Michigan, the inaugural Childcare Champions event recognized and awarded 12 employers who have made significant efforts to improve child care for their employees. The event was sponsored by Pulse @ the W.E. Upjohn Institute’s and Early Childhood Investment Corporation’s Child Care Innovation Fund. The entire event can be viewed on the Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute YouTube page.
The awards honored employers that implemented practical child care solutions, including on-site child care facilities, subsidies, and flexible work policies. These initiatives address ongoing challenges in Michigan related to child care access. Alicia Guevara Warren, CEO of the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, described the event as inspiring, highlighting the diversity of the award recipients, from a farm to universities.
The employers recognized included Northern Michigan University, Gretchen’s House, Munson Healthcare, McLaren Health, Health West, Peterson’s Farms, University of Michigan, Ross Design & Engineering, Saint Gobain, Edward Jones, Children’s Discovery Academy, and Duncan Aviation.
In addition to celebrating these champions for child care, the event brought together over 70 business leaders, policymakers, and advocates to recognize their specific efforts to improve child care access and urge to others to join MI’s efforts. Alicia Guevara Warren of ECIC stated she was looking forward to co-sponsoring the event in 2025, aiming to highlight more employers committed to supporting working families. ECIC’s Childcare Innovation Fund utilizes different strategies to address the child care shortage in Michigan. You can learn more by visiting the website.