KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Some early childhood educators in southwest Michigan may soon receive a financial boost through a $1.6 million grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, or MiLEAP, and the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District.
The grant, awarded to Pulse at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, is part of Michigan’s broader $16 million Early Childhood Educator Wage Initiative, aimed at strengthening the child care workforce and promoting long-term wage stability.
Beginning January 2026, eligible early childhood educators, including teachers and assistant teachers, will receive monthly stipends of $200 for part-time and $300 for full-time positions, and the stipends will continue through August 2027.
According to Kathy Szenda Wilson, Pulse founder and co-executive director, the initiative is part of a larger strategy to address Michigan’s ongoing child care crisis by tackling issues such as low pay, limited career advancement, and high turnover, factors that directly impact the quality and consistency of early learning.
She says 98% of all occupations are better compensated that child care workers, and notes while the financial boost won’t solve the problem, it will bring temporary relief to people who need it most.
Pulse will oversee recruitment of child care businesses and professionals, distribution of funds, and data collection for evaluation and quality improvement efforts across the region.
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