Key Michigan Policy Results 2015-2022
When families have access to affordable high-quality child care, many short- and long-term benefits accrue to communities, families, and children in terms of their cognitive, behavioral, and socio-emotional development (Office of Child Care [OCC], 2024).
The Child Development and Care program, recently renamed the Child Development and Care (CDC) Scholarship, helps families afford quality child care. Families spend between 15% (two earners) and 36% (single earner) of their income on child care (Joughin, 2021), far beyond the 7% of a family’s income recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (OCC, 2024). The CDC Scholarship is administered by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), in coordination with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which determines eligibility. The program is funded primarily by the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).
In a federally funded study, Public Policy Associates (PPA) partnered with MiLEAP and MDHHS to rigorously examine the effects of 17 policy changes on program participation, provider supply, access to quality care, the equity of access by geography and race/ ethnicity, and the continuity of care with the same provider. The policies studied fell into two major categories: (1) program eligibility and (2) child care provider payment and grants.
Over five years, multiple reports, presentations, and briefs were produced based on a substantial amount of secondary and primary data. This brief (available below) discusses the key results to inform future policy decisions.
