Michigan's Licensed Child Care Providers approximates the relationship between Michigan’s licensed child care supply and estimated child care demand. Because data on actual enrollment is unavailable, licensed child care slots are estimated using providers’ licensed capacity, proportionally distributed across the age range they serve. For example, if a provider is licensed to care for six children across a six-year span (ages 0-5), it is assumed that the capacity is evenly allocated—approximately one child per age group (e.g., one each for ages 0, 1, 2, etc.). The map can be filtered by zip codes, counties, and economic development organizations. To assess how child care accessibility may differ across community settings, data were analyzed by Boston University’s Child Opportunity Index (an estimate of local resources available to support positive child development, ranging from “very low” to “very high”), geographic types ( a city, suburb, or rural/town area) by the National Center for Education Statistics, and provider types (centers, family homes, and group homes).

Please note the limitations and assumptions of these maps, summarized below: 

• Only licensed providers are included in the current work. Unlicensed, license-exempt, and informal providers—which also contribute to the child care ecosystem—are excluded due to data unavailability.
• It is assumed that all families with children counted in the American Community Survey are seeking licensed child care and search only within their zip code or county.  
• It is assumed that all providers are operating at full capacity. Estimates may not fully capture local nuances—such as temporary closures, changes in provider schedules, and uneven distribution of slots across age groups. 

For a full list of definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, and references, please click here to download the technical report.