July 8, 2026
A new pilot initiative aimed at supporting early childhood educators launched in Battle Creek last month through a partnership that included Pulse, Neighborhoods Inc. of Battle Creek, Community Action, Battle Creek Community Foundation, and United Way of South Central Michigan.
The program, First Home, First Teacher, was originally created by Friends Center for Children in New Haven, Connecticut, and provides rent-free housing to early childhood educators as a way to improve compensation, stabilize the workforce, and address the financial pressures facing one of the country’s lowest-paid professions.
On June 8, community volunteers spent the day furnishing and preparing a duplex that now houses two early childhood educators and their families, rent free. Volunteers assembled furniture, organized donations, decorated rooms, and staged the home ahead of the families’ arrival later in the day. A short afternoon program featured remarks from community partners and elected officials.
Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute works to strengthen Michigan's early childhood system by bringing together research, data, community partnerships, and practical solutions that improve access to quality child care and support the workforce behind it.