Post by Logan on Jul 5, 2016 5:18:07 GMT -6
Michigan’s low investment in child care costs state and poor children alike
It’s mid-morning at Berkley Building Blocks, just north of Detroit, a good time for children of all ages, but especially the little ones in this public school district’s day-care program. Carrying a four-star rating (out of a possible five) it is where about 330 children, from early infancy through preschool, spend all or part of their days, with more on a waiting list.
An impromptu jam session has broken out among a trio of children in the room for 3-year-olds. A girl plays a toy piano with the enthusiasm of a pint-size Jerry Lee Lewis while a boy drums to his own rhythm. The room is big enough that this concert doesn’t disrupt the room, or even attract much attention; similar self-directed play is happening all over.
The children are fortunate to have such a rich environment, which costs about $800 a month. But for the state’s poorest families, facilities like this one are often out of reach.
That’s because Michigan provides day-care centers like Berkley Building Blocks among the lowest reimbursement rates in the nation ($3.25 an hour for 3-year-olds), and only for the poorest low-income families. Of hundreds of children at the Berkley center, just nine families receive the federally funded, state-distributed subsidy for child care (the families have to make up the cost difference).
Read more: bridgemi.com/2016/06/michigans-low-investment-in-child-care-costs-state-and-poor-children-alike/
It’s mid-morning at Berkley Building Blocks, just north of Detroit, a good time for children of all ages, but especially the little ones in this public school district’s day-care program. Carrying a four-star rating (out of a possible five) it is where about 330 children, from early infancy through preschool, spend all or part of their days, with more on a waiting list.
An impromptu jam session has broken out among a trio of children in the room for 3-year-olds. A girl plays a toy piano with the enthusiasm of a pint-size Jerry Lee Lewis while a boy drums to his own rhythm. The room is big enough that this concert doesn’t disrupt the room, or even attract much attention; similar self-directed play is happening all over.
The children are fortunate to have such a rich environment, which costs about $800 a month. But for the state’s poorest families, facilities like this one are often out of reach.
That’s because Michigan provides day-care centers like Berkley Building Blocks among the lowest reimbursement rates in the nation ($3.25 an hour for 3-year-olds), and only for the poorest low-income families. Of hundreds of children at the Berkley center, just nine families receive the federally funded, state-distributed subsidy for child care (the families have to make up the cost difference).
Read more: bridgemi.com/2016/06/michigans-low-investment-in-child-care-costs-state-and-poor-children-alike/