TROY, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a news conference Monday in Troy to put forward their plan to make an “historic investment to expand access to child care for families throughout Michigan,” according to the governor’s office.
Read more: What to know about Gov. Whitmer’s plan to invest in, expand child care
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The governor was joined by:
- Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist
- Congresswoman Haley Stevens
- Dave Coulter, Oakland County Executive
- Sue Graf, Executive Director, Troy, Babes in Toyland
- Brad Williams, VP of Government Relations, Detroit Regional Chamber
- Danielle Atkinson, Mothering Justice
- Dr. Megan Cahill, ER doctor and mother of five
Last week, Whitmer proposed expanding government-funded preschool to 22,000 eligible but unenrolled 4-year-olds in Michigan, saying too many cannot access an “incredible opportunity” because of inadequate funding.
The expansion is designed to ensure all 65,400 eligible kids can attend either through the federal Head Start program or the state’s Great Start Readiness Program, which covers at-risk kids whose families make up to 250% of the federal poverty level. It would be funded for three years, with an infusion of $250 million in federal coronavirus relief aid and $155 million in state dollars.