GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When it comes to child care in West Michigan, for many, it can be beyond expensive.
“We asked employers, we asked parents, we asked child care businesses, what did they need?” said Chana Edmond-Verley, CEO of non-profit Vibrant Futures. “64% of the families in this region said, ‘We need help paying for child care.'”
A 2023 report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in partnership with local groups like the Grand Rapids Chamber, found that childcare issues resulted in a roughly $3 billion annual loss to Michigan’s economy…