Childcare

Childcare

Bolster Michigan’s Workforce by Expanding Childcare Access

Access to affordable, high-quality childcare is not just a family issue but is one of the primary causes of workforce shortages. As costs continue to increase and care remains scarce, parents are reducing their hours or sometimes leaving the workforce altogether.

SBAM represents small businesses who rely on childcare to retain employees, as well as the community-based childcare providers who deliver vital care and operate as small businesses themselves. Public policy must support the sustainability and growth of providers to best address shortages across the state.

Promote Employer-Driven and Market-Based Solutions

As both a workforce issue and a small business issue, childcare policy should reflect the role of employers and providers.

SBAM supports the Michigan Tri-Share childcare program, which splits the cost of care between employers, employees, and the state. We support responsibly scaling the program to ensure more working families can access affordable care.

Government-led solutions should seek to incorporate the talents of small, community-based childcare providers, who are essential to meeting the needs of all communities across the state.

While SBAM supports improved wages and benefits for providers, we oppose one-size-fits-all mandates on small providers that require certain pay levels or benefits. These mandates reduce flexibility and only exacerbate provider shortages.

Providers are subject to a dizzying, overlapping web of rules and regulations from various departments and agencies. SBAM supports simplifying licensing and regulatory requirements for qualified childcare providers to help expand access and ease administrative burden.

Partnering to Expand Access to Benefits

SBAM has been at the forefront of advancing innovative partnerships to proliferate access to childcare. SBAM has partnered with The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) to launch a pilot program to expand access to essential workforce benefits for childcare professionals across the state, called Nurture Benefits.

This initiative seeks to grow and stabilize Michigan’s early childhood workforce by making it easier for community-based childcare providers to attract and retain skilled professionals.