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Whitmer, legislative leaders agree on COVID funding for childcare

School Supplies by nick.amoscato is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

There appears to be a deal between Democrats and Republicans in Lansing on plans to make early childhood programs more available and more affordable for more families.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer stood with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to make the announcement.

She says these regulatory changes should move in tandem with plans to use some federal COVID-19 funds for childcare. She says this would help meet a pressing need that predates the health crisis.

“Working families have long relied on childcare to support their children’s early development and to make their lives work.”

“This is not a system that’s working for hard-working people in our state.”

Republican Representative Jack O’Malley is from northern Michigan, where, he says, people want to get back to work but can’t afford it.