GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Childcare issues could cause a massive exodus from Michigan's workforce, costing the state close to $3 billion dollars.
The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce was joined by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Early Childhood Investment Corporation in presenting the "MI Untapped Potential" report on Tuesday.
Now, the partners are collaborating to find new ways to improve childcare for both providers and parents statewide.
"Our top line finding is that breakdowns in Michigan's childcare are costing the state $2.88 billion annually in untapped economic potential," says Leah Robinson, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
It's money left on the table for a few different reasons.
Largely, the study shows affordability problems for middle to low income households, with 47% of families surveyed saying they plan to leave jobs over the next year to take care of their kids.
"Definitely very alarming that of this survey, this is a significant portion of our low middle income workers in in the Michigan economy," says Marcus Keech, Director of Government Affairs for the GR Chamber.
Parents were also found to be more likely to pick child care based on affordability.
If families are unable to afford rising costs, providers can't afford to hire and retain employees.
"We are tasked with the responsibility to use the information in this report to create an environment for providers to succeed that will directly relate to addressing accessibility and increased talent pool for businesses throughout Michigan," says Keech.
So, what's being done to address this?
In 2021, the state launched the Tri-Share pilot program, the first of its kind in the country, which has child care costs split between the employer, the employee and the State of Michigan.
Emily Babson, Director of Human Resources at Plascore Inc. in Zeeland, says employees at the company appreciate the aid.
"This program has been a tremendous success at Plascore in regards to our recruitment and retention efforts," says Babso. "But more importantly, it shows our employees that we value them as people."
Tri-Share is only the beginning, as the partners now collaborate to come up with more ideas based on the report.
"We can turn this around and help even more children be on their path to success for their future," says Jessica White-Hatinger, Director of Operations at Big Steps Little Feet Child Care in Ada.
To read the full MI Untapped Potential report, click here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.