Advocacy
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$2.8 BILLION estimated loss in Michigan’s economy EVERY YEAR due to a lack of childcare.
There is one licensed child care slot for every eight children under the age of five.
Living wage in Washtenaw County outpaces median childcare wages by 3.5 to 1
Recent data from the United Way indicates that 40% of Washtenaw County families fall within the range of the ALICE household survival budget, meanwhile, the average cost of center-based care for infants and toddlers is nearly $14,000 annually.
Even with only one child in care, annual childcare costs could be upwards of 20% of a family’s annual income.
What are we doing to help?
Since November 2021, Apple Playschools has increased teacher wages by an average of 24%, added medical benefits with a premium cost-share for all full time teachers, and implemented a new job-based learning and teacher coaching program.
Annually we serve 175 children 0-10 years old. Almost a third of our students are infants or toddlers. Less than half of child care providers in Washtenaw County provide care for children under 30 months old.
The overwhelming majority of our staff are women, 40% are parents, and at least 42% of our staff are the main breadwinners for their families.
Just over 50% of our team members identify as primary or native Spanish speakers.
On our team of educators we have writers, social workers, environmental educators, artists, singers, and more. All these different talents come together to form our community and enrich the experience of our students.
Etta Heisler, our Executive Director, serves on the Livingston-Washtenaw Child Care Planning Coalition and the Washtenaw Community Impact & Equity Subcommittee of the United Way for Southeast Michigan. These groups bring together government, private industry, philanthropy, and community leadership to address the child care crisis and create avenues for investment that bring families from crisis to stability to prosperity.
Etta Heisler, Apple Playschools’ Executive Director, sits on the Livingston and Washtenaw Child Care Coalition. The coalition's aim is to improve child care in Livingston and Washtenaw Counties. To learn more click here.
"I'm interested in participating in the coalition because I think that the solution to problems that impact everybody is a solution that involves everybody in its creation.”
Photo credit: Doug Coombe
Read the entire article from Concentrate Media; “Child care is expensive and understaffed – but a new Washtenaw County coalition aims to change that”.