Child Care Mapping Project

The Child Care Mapping Project is an effort to provide transparency about the historical and current state of child care supply throughout the state of Michigan. This project supports the development of new data infrastructure that policymakers and program leaders can use to help ensure that families across the state of Michigan have adequate access to high-quality child care services. The maps available through this project support work in local communities across the state as they work to expand child care opportunities through the local Great Start Collaboratives/Great Start Family Coalitions (GSC/GSFC), Economic Development Organizations (EDO), Regional Child Care Coalitions and other partners. The data provided helps identify progress being made. 

Available Maps and Charts:

• The Licensed Provider Changes (2022 to Today) map compares and maps the number of licensed child care providers and slots in 2022, 2023, 2024 and today. 
• Michigan’s Child Care Deserts map illustrates how many children are competing for one licensed child care slot in an area.
• Michigan's Licensed Providers map shows the location of current licensed child care providers by county and the distribution of slots by community characteristics.
• The Child Development and Care (CDC) Scholarship Usage map shows providers accepting CDC scholarships and not accepting scholarships in June/July 2024 in relation to community characteristics.
• The Areas with High Needs and Urgency map categorizes Michigan’s counties by their child care need as either “urgent” or “high priority.”
• The Caring for MI Future Investments map breaks down prelicensure grant, start up grant, and facility improvement grant awards by county.
• The Child Care Providers’ Utilization of Caring for MI Future Resources map reports prelicensure grant, startup grant, facility improvement grant, and business sustainability funding usage by county.

This project was initially funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, awarded by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), as part of the Caring for MI Future initiative. To support MiLEAP’s ongoing initiative to help with supply building, funding for this project has been continued using Child Care Development Funds (CCDF). 

For more information:
MSU researcher receives Michigan Department of Education grant for Childcare Services Mapping Project | Human Development and Family Studies