Michigan Named 2026 Child Care Champions
State officials recognized employers and nonprofits for expanding access to reliable child care services.
Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Child Care
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State officials honored Gentex Corporation and eight other organizations as 2026 Child Care Champions. These awards recognize efforts to alleviate child care shortages that impact the state workforce.
Why it matters
The initiatives aim to lower costs and increase capacity to help Michigan families struggling with child care availability. Many residents currently spend well above the federal affordability threshold of 7 percent of household income.
Infant care in Michigan costs an average of $10,023 per year, while only one in four families meets the 7 percent affordability threshold. Awardees created hundreds of new slots, including 40 in Plainfield Township and 50 at a new United Way of Bay County center.
The players
Gentex Corporation
This technology company built an early learning center in Zeeland to support its manufacturing workforce.
ODC Network
This organization partnered with corporate employers to build and staff new child care facilities.
Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation
This local philanthropic group provided funding to increase the number of available child care slots.
United Way of Bay County
This nonprofit agency established a new center with the capacity to serve 50 children.
The details
Gentex Corporation built a 43,000-square-foot facility in Zeeland to support manufacturing shifts, while other winners like the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation directed $850,000 to add 47 slots. Plainfield Township and the Manthei Group in Petoskey also streamlined local regulations and operations to open dozens of new licensed spaces.
Timeline
2025: Average infant care costs reached $10,023 annually.
October 2026: State officials presented the 2026 Child Care Champion awards.
Culture Shift
This state recognition highlights a transition toward employer-integrated child care as a solution to chronic workforce labor shortages. It marks a departure from traditional reliance on public-only funding by incentivizing private and community-led infrastructure development.
Families in participating regions may find increased availability of licensed care slots following these investments. These projects aim to reduce wait times and better align center hours with the needs of manufacturing shift workers.
The takeaway
Reliable child care is increasingly viewed as a critical component of corporate productivity and employee retention. Employers and communities are finding success by aligning facility operations with the specific schedule requirements of local labor forces.
Further reading
Learn more about local efforts to improve access at Michigan Child Care.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Ottawa News Network.
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