Family Contribution Policy Suspension and Payment Rate Increases in Michigan’s Child Development and Care Scholarship Program
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred multiple changes in Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policy, both temporary and permanent. Among the changes implemented in Michigan, a temporary stop of the family copayment (called “family contribution” in Michigan) and temporary and permanent provider payment rate increases featured prominently. These changes aimed to put more money in the pockets of families and child care providers during difficult economic times. Removing the required family contribution represented as much as $186 in savings biweekly for a large family, which could go toward other expenses. The rate increases, combined with other policies, gave providers the option to invest additional revenue into higher wages, enhanced program quality, and other needs.
The temporary nature of the policy changes poses interesting questions about how patterns of program participation and access to child care were impacted, both in terms of when these policies were active and when they ceased. In this new issue brief, we explore who benefited from these policies and their impact on Child Development and Care (CDC) Scholarship trends.
You can read the issue brief by clicking the link below.
