Be an Advocate!
All children benefit from good early childhood advocates. Early childhood advocates can empower each other to speak up so that all children get everything they need for a 'great start' in life. Check our the Policy Advocacy Center here.
- More than 85,000 Michigan children are not enrolled in licensed child care. The shortage is most severe for infants and children with disabilities and those who need evening and weekend care.(ECIC)
- The average cost of full-time child care in Michigan is $6,616 annually for a 4-year-old child. It is $7,916 for an infant. That is 11% of the median income for two-parent families; 37% for single parents. (ECIC)
- Currently 33% of children, 0-18, depend on Medicaid. (2008 KIDS COUNT)
- The average childcare worker makes an average of $16,000 annually. This low wage makes it difficult for programs to attract and keep quality teachers. Yet, brain development science shows that young children, especially infants and toddlers, need stable, positive relationships with their caregivers. (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Have you heard?
February 2010
Preliminary review of of the FY 2010 - 2011 Executive Budget Recommendation
This preliminary review provides a quick look at the executive budget recommendation for FY 2010-11. House Fiscal Agency
Overview of Governor Granholm FY 2010 - 2011 Budget
This review provides an overview of the Governor's FY 2010 - 2011 budget recommendation. Senate Fiscal Agency
Governor Granholm Releases FY 2011 Budget
On February 11, 2010, Governor Granholm released her proposed state budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2011. The Governor's budget addresses a projected deficit of $1.5 billion as a result of declining revenues and additional spending pressures. The Governor proposes to address the deficit through a combination of budget cuts, and tax and governmental reforms. The current fiscal year budget (FY 2010) included major cuts in services for children and families that will be continued into FY 2011. Michigan's Children
Education Reform Starts Early: Lessons from New Jersey's PreK-3rd Reform Efforts
This report explains how New Jersey became a national leader in early education through its reform efforts from preschool to third grade. Specifically, the report describes the state's successes and challenges, draws state and national policy lessons from New Jersey's experiences, and provides recommendations for the state to build on its success. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
Underpaid Early Childhood Workers: Finding the Path to Better Pay
This month’s NAEYC Radio segment features Marcy Whitebook, Ph.D., who discusses early childhood workers’ wages and ways to find better pay. Dr. Whitebook directs the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley. In this segment, Dr. Whitebook says that most child care professionals make less than parking lot attendants. In fact, on average child care providers make about $15,000-$20,000 a year depending on where they live and what age group they care for. Dr. Whitebook says the reason for such low pay is that the United States never placed the same value on early childhood education as it has for the rest of the K-12 spectrum. While she says some attitudes have changed some, especially based on research of brain development in the early years, attitudes haven’t changed enough to make a significant impact on wages. NAEYC Radio
How would the lives of at-risk children be different if we invested in high-quality early learning programs, starting at birth? Watch the video above and see—through the voices of the children themselves—just how powerful the change can be.