MARQUETTE, MI— A rally to raise awareness about the lack of childcare in the area is being held at Northern Michigan University Friday.
Associate professor and rally organizer Rachel May says the event is sponsored by the on-campus Early Childhood Education Taskforce. She says out of $13 million the county received through the American Rescue Act, it earmarked $200,000 to expand childcare, and the taskforce is requesting more be allocated. Officials are also advocating for the construction of an early childcare education center and learning lab on campus.
May says finding childcare in the area is extremely difficult right now.
“We live in what’s federally designated a ‘childcare desert,’ which means that there are three children for every one spot. And it’s most difficult for infants and toddlers, so most people who are looking for childcare are on a one- to three-year waiting list if they have an infant or toddler.”
Northern Michigan University recently became the first employer in the Upper Peninsula to enroll in the MI Tri-Share program. NMU’s commitment means the university will pay a third of childcare costs, the state will pay a third, and employees who qualify for the program will pay for a third of childcare expenses. May says while Tri-Share will definitely help pay for childcare, there aren’t enough qualified staff to take care of kids in the area.
“Early childhood education caregivers are underpaid and undervalued, and part of our initiative is to do whatever we can to help raise awareness about the work that people are doing in the childcare sector.”
The rally will be held Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Wildcat statue next to Jamrich Hall on NMU’s campus. Everyone is invited to take part.
