Gov. Whitmer announces $250 million grant distribution to child care providers

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday that $253 million in grant funding has been distributed to child care programs across the state.

Nearly 5,200 child care programs received funding through the third round of the Child Care Stabilization Grant. Whitmer said these funds will keep programs open for business and serving Michigan families.

“Michigan thrives when every family has access to quality, affordable child care that meets their needs,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “I’ve worked across the aisle to make record, bipartisan investments in in child care because as a mom I know the importance of having a child care provider you trust and your kids love. All our kids deserve a strong start. These grants are another investment in their future, our child care industry, early educators, and our state’s prosperity.”

These grants were part of a bipartisan budget Governor Whitmer signed that included investments in child care. Grants were awarded to licensed centers, group homes, family homes, and tribal child care providers. Funds may be used to lower tuition costs for families, increase compensation for early educators, recruit and train new staff members, improve learning environments, and more.

The Child Care Stabilization Grant is a non-competitive grant for child care programs to help stabilize operations and support the health and safety of children and staff. Eligible licensed child care programs applied for funding in summer 2022.

A total of 5,170 awards were distributed. Staff in the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Child Development and Care worked diligently with the support of partners across the state to manage and process the grants to ensure that all eligible child care providers were able to apply for and receive the funds as quickly as possible. Additional information about the program is available at Michigan.gov/childcare.