Across Michigan, families face a difficult reality. Childcare is often too expensive to afford, while providers struggle to cover costs and pay workers sustainable wages.
“The average cost of childcare is very high, but at the same time the workforce is just not paid for the essential work that they’re doing,” says Anne Kuhnen, policy analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy.
When Kalamazoo County voters head to the polls Aug. 4, they will decide whether to create a dedicated local funding source for childcare, one of the community’s most pressing challenges. Only three other Michigan counties currently have a dedicated childcare millage: Kent, Leelanau, and Benzie.
Supporters of the proposed early childhood millage say the initiative would help address a system that is becoming increasingly difficult for families to afford, providers to sustain, and educators to remain in. If approved, the millage would generate funding to support childcare access, affordability, workforce retention, and other early childhood needs identified by the community…