East Central Childcare Wage Initiative
East Central Michigan Wage Initiative
Michigan is investing $16 million statewide to support and retain the early educators who make quality child care possible. Supporting early educators is key to Michigan’s broader economy. Families and businesses rely on a strong, stable child care system to stay in the workforce. Yet many early childhood educators earn far less than professionals with similar education and experience, with wages that are too low to support their own families, leading to high turnover, staff shortages, and burnout. Through this initiative, participating programs can help their staff receive monthly wage stipends while contributing to a stronger, more sustainable early learning system over the next two years.
Part-time professionals, working up to 60 hours biweekly, will receive $200 a month. Full-time professionals, working 61+ hours biweekly, will receive $300 a month.
While each RCCC will determine application and eligibility criteria, a few rules will apply universally:
- Early childhood educators who remain with the licensed program they applied through will receive support. If they move to a different program, they may submit a new application if funds are available.
- Early childhood educators must create and/or update a MiRegistry profile and membership, including all wage and employment documentation and keep it current for the full initiative.
- Early childhood programs must create and maintain an organizational profile and membership in MiRegistry that includes all employee wage and employment documentation.
- Early childhood educators and programs must agree to actively participate in required evaluation activities.
Applications close December 22nd, 2025.
Eligibility & Application Information
Stipend Recipients must be either an employee or a contractor of the program and meet at least one of the following role-based criteria:
- Serve as a primary teacher for an infant and/or toddler
- Be part of the teaching staff assigned to meet required licensing ratios for infants and toddlers
- Be a member of the teaching staff in a classroom or group that includes children with disabilities or complex medical needs
- Be assigned to provide one-on-one support for an infant/toddler or a child with disabilities or complex medical needs.
Disability Definition Complex Medical Needs Definition
Scoring Information
Applications will then be scored based on the rubric.
Application data will be combined with public data (i.e., MSU Child Care Desert Maps and Childhood Opportunity Index) to calculate final scores based on rubric criteria.
County-specific cut scores are set using local application scores and available stipend slots so that every county has an equitable chance to participate in the pilot.
Eligible programs that meet their county’s cut score enter a computer-randomized lottery that assigns stipends until each county’s allocation is filled.
Selection Process
On December 22nd at 11:59pm the Application will close. Applications will then be scored based on the rubric.
Lottery Results & Offers:
- Programs are contacted with an award offer specifying available stipends
- Accept full, partial, or decline – Programs can accept the full award, accept fewer stipends, or opt out entirely
- Unused stipends return to pool – Any declined or unclaimed stipends go back to the county for the next draw
- Cycle continues – The lottery draws the next eligible program and repeats until all stipends are assigned or all programs have decided
- Full documentation – Every selection, offer, acceptance, and decline is recorded for transparency and audit readiness
Notification Process
Programs will receive communication by MMDC as to whether or not the Program was selected for the Wage Initiative.
All applicants will be contacted via the email address provided and notified if their program was selected or not.
Programs will also be told how many stipends they have to distribute among eligible early childhood educators. Program leaders will decide which early childhood educators participate. MMDC provides only the number of stipends.
Programs will have 5 business days to respond and indicate if they are or are not interested in participating. This email will go to
