As the dust settles from this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference and conversations continue around how to strengthen Michigan’s economy, grow our workforce and build more resilient communities, one of the most powerful solutions to all three can be found in early childhood education. Michigan should prioritize investing in our youngest children, starting at birth.
The science is clear. Up to 90% of brain development occurs before age five, with the most rapid and foundational growth happening between birth and age three. These early years shape a child’s ability to learn, communicate and build relationships. This becomes the foundation not only for school readiness, but for lifelong success. Yesterday’s preschoolers are today’s government and industry leaders.
Despite this, right now across our state, families with infants and toddlers continue to face significant barriers to accessing high-quality early childhood education. While the state has made meaningful progress in expanding preschool for three and four-year-olds, the earliest years — infancy through age two — remain the most under-resourced stage of the early education system. In many cases, infant education costs rival college tuition, and available openings meet only a fraction of the demand.
In many communities across Michigan, families are now living in what experts describe as “early child learning deserts,” where there are multiple children for every available licensed early childhood education slot. This imbalance leaves parents with few realistic options and forces difficult decisions between employment, financial stability and safe, reliable care for their children.
The consequences stemming from a lack of high-quality early childhood education extend far beyond the classroom. When families cannot find or afford early childhood education, parents and caregivers are often forced to scale back or leave the workforce entirely. Without reliable early education options, many parents are also unable to pursue education, job training or credentials that would enable them to advance their careers and increase their earning potential. Employers across Michigan consistently identify infant and toddler early childhood education as a top barrier to hiring and retention. At a time when businesses are working to attract and retain talent, access to early childhood education is more than just a “nice to have,” it is essential education infrastructure.
The economic impact is significant and measurable. Employers across industries report lost productivity, increased absenteeism and turnover directly tied to early childhood education instability. This issue also leads to workforce shortages in Michigan’s key sectors, including early education, health care, manufacturing and service industries.
At Starfish Family Services, we see every day what is possible when families have access to this critical support. Community-based, integrated early childhood education programs, when paired with behavioral health services and family resources, create environments where children thrive and parents are able to fully participate in the workforce and pursue opportunities for advancement. Partnerships across organizations demonstrate that when we design systems around families’ real needs, the results are transformative.
The way to address this challenge is clear: Michigan must expand access to affordable, high quality early childhood education and care for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, strengthen the early childhood education workforce and reduce barriers that prevent families from getting the support they need. This will require collaboration across policymakers, business leaders and community organizations, but it is exactly the kind of common ground solution that benefits everyone.
If we are serious about building a stronger Michigan, one with a thriving workforce, a competitive economy and healthy communities, change starts much earlier than we think.
Roxanne Brinkerhoff is CEO of Starfish Family Services.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Investing in early childhood education can help grow Michigan | Opinion
Reporting by Roxanne Brinkerhoff / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Roxanne Brinkerhoff | USA TODAY Network
