For Immediate Release:
May 12, 2016

Contact: Bob Schneider
517.485.9444
or Eric Lupher
734.542.8001

CRC Releases Catalog of Early Childhood Funding
Scientific research has increasingly demonstrated the importance of the first years of a child’s life on that child’s successful development into adulthood, and these findings have begun to impact public policy discussions related to very young children from vulnerable households. At both the federal and state level, an array of different programs seek to provide early-age public investments to ensure that young children are ready to learn in school and eventually succeed as citizens and in the workplace as adults.
However, for parents, child care providers, and educators, navigating this complex web of programs is getting increasingly difficult. To serve interested parties in understanding of the changing landscape of early childhood financing streams, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan today released a comprehensive Catalog of Early Childhood Funding in Michigan. The new catalog provides a detailed, yet accessible, overview of 13 different federal and state programs that make up the core of early childhood funding in Michigan, including Head Start, child care subsidies, and Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program for pre-school children.
For each of the programs covered in the catalog, readers can find detailed information on how funding is awarded, eligibility criteria, match requirements, and use restrictions. The catalog also contains helpful links to federal and state rules and policy guidance as well as contact information for agencies responsible for administering these programs. Finally, the catalog looks back at major policy changes for each program since the year 2000.
“More and more, you see child care providers, Head Start agencies, and even school-based pre-kindergarten programs working collaboratively and blending funding provided through state child care subsidies with federal Head Start or state pre-K funding,” said Bob Schneider, CRC’s Director of State Affairs. “This means full-day, high-quality care for young children, but to make it work you have to understand the requirements of each individual program. That can be hard, and we hope the catalog can be a helpful tool.”
Work on the Catalog of Early Childhood Funding in Michigan was generously financed with support from the Kresge Foundation, the Skillman Foundation, and the Max and Majorie Fisher Foundation. It is available at no cost on the Citizens Research Council’s website, www.crcmich.org.