LANSING, Mich. – With the Michigan House of Representatives yesterday passing a budget bill, Early Childhood Investment Corporation Chief Executive Officer Alicia Guevara issued the following statement:
“The budget passed yesterday in the Michigan House falls short of what Michigan’s youngest children and their families need to truly thrive. This budget plan, coupled with the added pressures facing families from federal reductions to Medicaid and SNAP and proposed changes to Head Start, will make it more difficult for parents to access health care, early learning and care, and basic necessities that keep children healthy and ready to learn.
“By reducing or eliminating supports like food assistance education, diaper assistance, and essential maternal health services, this plan puts additional strain on families already working hard to provide for their children. These reductions risk undoing the progress Michigan has made in recent years to ensure children have healthy beginnings and families have the tools they need to succeed.
“We urge the legislature and Governor Whitmer to work together toward a final budget that builds on, rather than reverses, recent investments in early childhood. Michigan families need a budget that provides stability, supports working parents, and ensures that every child has the opportunity to succeed in school and in life.”