September 23, 2026
Michigan employers and community leaders are finding innovative ways to support working families and strengthen access to child care, from investing in new child care facilities and supporting providers to addressing the needs of employees who work nontraditional schedules.
Those efforts will be celebrated September 24 at the 2026 Child Care Champions of Michigan event in East Lansing, where businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and economic development organizations from across the state will be recognized for their leadership in addressing local child care needs.
This year’s Child Care Champions represent communities from Northern Michigan, West Michigan, the Great Lakes Bay Region, Southeast Michigan, and areas in between. Honorees have taken a range of approaches to strengthening child care, including helping create new child care capacity, investing in employer-supported care, providing financial support for child care providers, reducing barriers to new programs, and bringing major employers and community partners together to develop solutions.
The Child Care Champions are recognized by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). The annual recognition highlights community-driven efforts to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care, and support Michigan’s workforce. ECIC works to strengthen Michigan’s early childhood system and increase public and private investment; Pulse brings data, research, and cross-sector collaboration to community child care solutions; and MiLEAP works to expand access to high-quality early learning and care while supporting children, families, and the early childhood workforce.
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, 219 S. Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48824.
This project is supported by funding provided from MiLEAP utilizing Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funding from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information, contact Angie Layne at Pulse at adlaynebcp@gmail.com.