Purpose
A partnership of Public Policy Associates and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) is studying the role that license-exempt child care plays in Michigan. The results will help MiLEAP identify the processes, tools, materials, and training to assist LEPs in delivering high quality care.
License-exempt providers (LEPs) are important to Michigan’s mixed-delivery system. They may be related to the children in their care or unrelated. After meeting health and safety standards, the families can use their Child Development and Care (CDC) Scholarship to pay their LEPs.
In 2022, LEPs made up 42% of the CDC-participating child care providers. However, little is known about LEPs. For example, we want to learn how they differ from licensed family child care providers (FCCs). This study will examine LEP characteristics, locations, motivations for providing child care, participation in quality improvement activities, and what supports they need to deliver excellent child care. We will explore who LEPs serve and the role LEPs have in providing care at non-traditional hours.
Components
Year 1 of this project (2024-25) is for establishing an advisory group, planning data collection, and doing preliminary analysis. During Years 2-5 (2025-29) the team will carry out a variety of research tasks:
- Surveys and interviews with providers
- Surveys and interviews with parents
- Analysis of CDC Scholarship records, MiRegistry records, and other datasets
- Comparison of LEPs and FCCs
- Reports and presentations
The research questions focus on parental choice, the characteristics of the LEPs, and quality improvement needs. We will compare LEPs and FCCs on CDC program participation, quality, equity, geographic location, amount of non-traditional hour care offered, and continuity of care.
This project is supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award (Award #: 90YE0319) with 100 percent funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.
