GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist paid a visit to a local childcare center in Grand Rapids Monday as he pushed for proposals from his and Governor Gretchen Whitmer's administration to expand funding for childcare and pre-K for Michigan families.
"We believe that everyone should have a right for their children to know there are other adults in the community that care about them, and that care about their success and want to invest in their success," Gilchrist said.
It's an investment officials say would be a step forward for building the state, as officials and advocates have warned of what they've characterized as not just a childcare shortage, but a crisis.
Such was the term used by U.S. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, who represents Michigan's 3rd Congressional District.
Part of this district includes Kent County, where one recent study from the Illinois Facilities Fund suggested upward of 20,000 additional early childhood education spots were needed to keep up with local demand.
"Parents are making the choice between going back to work or not based on the type of quality childcare that they have available to them," Scholten said. "Meeting this gap is a local, state and federal partnership."
It's the Whitmer-Gilchrist administration's first high-profile visit to Grand Rapids on this topic since announcing in February just how much they were asking for in this year's state budget.
Under their proposal, the state would put $159 million toward expanding state-funded pre-K to achieve their goal of universal pre-K in Michigan two years ahead of schedule.
But as talks continue, the full budget is one that could face some reshaping before a final version is put forward.
While not referring specifically to childcare provisions, State Sen. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) reacted immediately after the budget proposal was first unveiled in February, saying he believed cuts to the proposal were warranted.
"I'll always stand for working together, getting things done for our communities, happy to work bipartisanly," Huizenga said. "At the end of the day, we have to recognize that these are hardworking taxpayer dollars. We have to make sure that we spend them prudently, and I, frankly, thought that there was a little bit of fluff in this budget - actually, quite a bit."
When it comes to childcare, administration officials have said they're confident in what they've proposed.
"We believe that this is an opportunity because of the strong fiscal management that we've demonstrated over the last several years," Gilchrist said. "We've have an opportunity to invest this money in this way, and so it's prudent. We've done the math, and we think it's going to work, and we've seen people that have confidence in this the way we've had confidence in this over the last several years."
►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.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.