The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) and the Think Babies Michigan coalition are gathering information from candidates seeking public office in Michigan about their perspectives on early childhood policy. Our goal is education, not endorsement. ECIC does not endorse, oppose, or rate candidates for public office.
We are collecting responses so that families, early childhood service providers, and community members across Michigan can better understand how candidates think about the needs of children from birth through age five and the families and professionals who care for them. Responses from candidates are published as received, without editing or commentary. Candidates have agreed that their responses may be reproduced and attributed to them in ECIC and Think Babies Michigan communications, including newsletters, social media, websites, and materials shared with coalition partners.
The following responses are from Nick Rowe, Democratic candidate for Michigan House of Representatives District 42.
What do you see as the most pressing early childhood challenge facing the district or communities you seek to represent?
The most pressing early childhood challenge in our communities is access to affordable, reliable, high-quality childcare. Too many families are forced to choose between going to work and paying childcare costs that can consume a huge portion of their income. At the same time, providers are struggling to recruit and retain qualified workers, especially in rural communities.
I see early childhood care as both a family issue and a workforce issue. We need to strengthen programs that help families afford care, support childcare providers and their employees, and expand capacity where shortages are keeping parents out of the workforce. When families can find dependable care close to home, children benefit, parents can work, and local employers have a stronger workforce.
Michigan families in many parts of the state live in areas with far fewer licensed child care slots than there are children who need them, and the shortage is most severe for infants and toddlers. What is your view of this issue, and what approaches would you consider if elected?
I would support strengthening Head Start and Early Head Start, while also expanding Michigan’s Tri-Share program to help working families afford care. We also need to increase the actual number of child care slots by supporting local providers and early educators.
Kalamazoo County’s Yes for Families campaign is a good example of communities taking this challenge seriously. The recently approved local millage is designed to expand access—especially for children ages 0–3—lower costs for working families, and strengthen the child care workforce. At the state level, I would look for ways to support and build on successful local efforts like this rather than trying to impose a one-size-fits-all solution.
What is your perspective on the cost of child care for Michigan families, and on the tools available to state or federal policymakers to address affordability?
Child care costs are simply too high for many Michigan families, and the burden is especially difficult for families with multiple young children. I think policymakers need to use several tools at once: expand programs like Tri-Share, strengthen Head Start and Early Head Start, support local efforts like Yes for Families, and make sure providers have the workforce and resources needed to keep care available.
At the same time, affordability cannot be solved by subsidies alone. We also have to increase the supply of quality child care so families are not competing for too few slots. The goal should be straightforward: make it possible for parents to work without child care consuming an unreasonable share of the family budget.
Early childhood educators are among the lowest paid workers in Michigan, and turnover in the field is high. How do you think about compensation, benefits, and working conditions in this profession?
Early childhood educators do incredibly important work, yet too often they are paid like that work does not matter. If we want more child care slots and better outcomes for children, we have to be able to recruit and retain skilled professionals.
That means looking at compensation, benefits, training opportunities, and working conditions—not just asking providers to do more with the same limited resources. I would support policies that help providers raise wages and offer more stable careers while keeping care affordable for families.
Michigan has dedicated funding for many critical services, but nothing specifically focused on the needs of families with young children. Advocates have proposed a dedicated, sustainable state revenue stream for early childhood, separate from the annual general fund appropriations process. What is your perspective on that idea?
I think early childhood funding should be more closely connected to how we fund education. Child care providers and early childhood professionals are educators, and we should treat them that way—including building a more stable funding system that supports competitive pay and long-term careers.
Investing in early education improves school readiness, academic performance, and long-term outcomes well into adulthood. We should stop treating early childhood as a temporary family expense and start treating it as what it is: an investment in Michigan’s education system, workforce, and future.
If you were setting priorities within a constrained early childhood budget, what would you prioritize first, and why?
I would prioritize the workforce first. If we do not have enough qualified early childhood educators, we cannot expand access, improve quality, or create more child care slots.
That means focusing limited dollars on better compensation, training, and retention, while targeting support to communities with the greatest shortages. I would also protect programs like Head Start and Tri-Share that directly help families access care. The best use of a constrained budget is to strengthen the people and programs that create lasting capacity, not just provide short-term relief.
Michigan has made significant strides to promote maternal and infant health, though federal policy changes put many of these programs at risk. How would you work to preserve and expand access to important programs that promote maternal and infant health including Medicaid?
Medicaid is foundational to maternal and infant health in Michigan—it covers about 45% of births statewide and is especially important in rural communities. I would fight to protect that coverage and preserve Michigan’s 12-month postpartum Medicaid benefit, along with programs like the Maternal Infant Health Program that connect families with care and support during pregnancy and a child’s first year.
If federal funding is reduced, Michigan will have to be deliberate about protecting the services with the greatest impact. Prenatal care, postpartum care, behavioral health, and access to labor and delivery—particularly in rural areas—should be priorities. These are investments that prevent much more serious health problems later and give children a healthier start in life.
Think Babies supports more funding for programs that support nurturing relationships and well-being for babies and caregivers — like home visiting, consultation, and intervention services —to help address and prevent stress and trauma before they become a crisis. How familiar are you with these kinds of programs, and would you support increased funding for them if elected?
I am familiar with the value of home visiting, early intervention, and caregiver support programs both from a policy perspective and from my own experience as the father of a severely disabled child with complex medical needs. I have seen firsthand how important early support, coordination, and intervention can be for both a child and their caregivers. I would support increased funding for programs that demonstrate strong outcomes because investing early can improve long-term health and educational outcomes while reducing the need for more intensive and costly services later.
The Early On Coalition — which is part of Think Babies — has advocated for increased funding to support families with infants and toddlers who have disabilities and developmental delays to make sure they get the individualized early intervention services they are entitled to. What is your perspective on increasing funding for Early On?
As the father of a severely disabled child with complex medical needs, this issue is deeply personal to me. My family has experienced firsthand how critical early intervention, specialized services, and support for caregivers can be during the first years of a child’s life. I strongly support increasing funding for Early On so families can access the individualized services their children are entitled to without unnecessary delays or barriers. Early support can change the trajectory of a child’s life, and families should not have to fight the system to get it.
If elected, how would you gather input from parents, caregivers, and early childhood professionals in your district when making decisions that affect them?
My wife and I, along with our four children, are active members of the community, so I am surrounded by parents, caregivers, teachers, coaches, and early childhood professionals on a daily basis. I would continue listening to those voices directly through schools, community organizations, local providers, and regular conversations with families. I also believe policymakers need to go to the people doing the work, not just wait for them to come to Lansing, and make sure their experiences are reflected in the decisions we make.
Is there anything else you would like Michigan families, early childhood professionals, and advocates to know about your approach to young children and their families?
I am a college professor and a father of four, so I think about these issues from both ends of the education system. I understand what it takes to support children from their earliest years, through school, and hopefully into a meaningful career and independent adulthood. Strong outcomes do not begin in high school or college. They begin with stable families, quality early education, good health care, and support when children need it. My approach is to treat investments in young children and their families as long-term investments in Michigan’s schools, workforce, and future.
Are there early childhood issues you believe are being overlooked in the current policy conversation in Michigan?
One issue I believe is being overlooked is the weakening federal role in protecting the civil rights of children with disabilities and ensuring that existing laws are actually enforced. As the father of a severely disabled child, I know how important those protections are to families trying to secure appropriate education, early intervention, and support services. Michigan needs to be prepared to protect those rights at the state level, strengthen oversight and accountability, and make sure families have somewhere to turn when systems fail to provide the services their children are legally entitled to.