Coalition to Expand Childcare Supply in the Western Region
To accelerate childcare solutions in partnership with economic development partners, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) announced Regional Child Care Planning Grants.
Vibrant Futures and The Right Place secured the grant to form a regional coalition and lead this work for Barry-Ionia-Kent-Mecosta-Montcalm region. In the past two years, the Coalition surveyed area businesses, child care providers, and families, engaged governing entities, and convened CEOs to shape an action plan that, when implemented, will address the childcare crisis with innovative, systemic, and scalable solutions.
West Regional
Childcare Action Plan
The regional plan from Vibrant Futures and The Right Place addresses unmet needs that are pressing on both sides: parents seeking work, and employers seeking workers.
Encompassing Barry, Kent, Ionia, Mecosta, and Montcalm counties, the West Regional Childcare Action Plan identifies four key strategies to solve persistent childcare shortages. Transforming childcare shortages into an abundant network of affordable care will pave the way for employers to fill jobs and for parents to stay employed, expanding economic opportunities throughout the region.
READINESS ASSESSMENT
Community Redevelopment
Childcare in All Policies (CCIAP) report
Regional Research
Amplifying Voices
