GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County commissioners have approved a plan that local advocates and parents hope will help address the county's childcare shortage.
WATCH: Kent County approves childcare recommendations to address local shortage
The county's childcare taskforce found a need for more than 20,000 childcare slots in the county — a gap that has created significant challenges for local families and employers alike.
Meagen Coburn, a Kent County parent and taskforce member, said the shortage has been a years-long struggle for her family, spending over $160,000 on childcare for her two children over the past nine years.
"I probably went to 10 different places, and they all had waitlists that were, you know, extending out to 18 months," Coburn explained. "So we've had to look for alternative solutions."
The shortage has forced parents like Coburn, to step back from work. A county survey found 86% of local employers say the childcare shortage has made it harder to hire and retain workers, and 65% report negative business impacts.
"We were able to swing it, but many parents can't, and so many of them are stepping away from the workforce entirely, which is ultimately impacting the economy locally," Coburn said.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation estimates Michigan loses $2.88 billion annually in economic activity due to childcare-related workforce disruptions.
To address the issue, the county formed a childcare taskforce made up of advocates and parents. The taskforce developed 14 recommendations that will be implemented in a three-phase approach designed to make childcare in the county cheaper and easier to find. The recommendations fall into four broad areas:
- Improve affordability: Advocate for policies that lower childcare costs for families, such as subsidies, tax credits, or sliding fee scales based on income.
- Expand childcare supply: Increase the availability of childcare services, including expanding hours of operation, increasing the number of facilities, and exploring new opportunities to support infrastructure costs.
- Strengthen the workforce: Improve conditions for childcare workers, including better wages, benefits, and professional development opportunities, to attract and retain skilled professionals in the field.
- Ongoing county monitoring: Track evolving issues and opportunities, and maintain county involvement in implementing the recommendations.
Kent County Commissioner Kris Pachla said the county sees its role as a connector across multiple levels of government and community.
"The county has a role to play, but not the only role. And I think the county sitting at the place that we do, provides us this opportunity to look upward, downward and across all spaces to think through: how are we going to make the highest and best use of our dollars thats not overbearing or overstepping our roles," Pachla said.
Commissioners approved the recommendations and will begin phase one of the plan later this year. Commissioners will review progress on phase one at the end of 2027.
Coburn said she is realistic about the timeline but views the approval as a meaningful step.
"Does it mean that we're going to fix childcare tomorrow? Absolutely not. But this is still a win that the county is recognizing that this needs to be a collaborative effort between the city, the county, the parents, you know, the big governments."
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