A new Public Policy Associates brief summarizes insights from Michigan parents receiving child care subsidies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
PPA interviewed parents about the impact of pandemic-related policy changes designed to address the unique circumstances for parents and child care providers during the public health crisis. These policies ranged from extending the eligibility redetermination period to allowing providers to bill for school-aged children who were engaged in remote learning while in care.
Key recommendations included:
- Clearly explaining the policy changes that affect parents.
- Offering incentives to increase the number of child care providers and to expand provider openings.
- Relaxing income requirements for eligibility to allow more families to qualify for a subsidy.
For a full account of findings and recommendations from the interviews, read the issue brief here.
PPA is partnering with the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to undertake a multiyear study of policy changes in the state’s child care subsidy program. Earlier this year, as part of this study, PPA conducted interviews of child care providers. You can read that brief here.
For more information about PPA’s child care work, contact Colleen Graber at cgraber@publicpolicy.com.