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 Laura Perry, Republican candidate for Michigan House District 31.
What do you see as the most pressing early childhood challenge facing the district or communities you seek to represent?
One of the most pressing early childhood challenges in the communities I seek to represent is ensuring families can find affordable, reliable, high-quality childcare close to home. This is particularly challenging in rural and smaller communities, where childcare options can be limited and providers face rising operating costs and workforce shortages.
As a mother and small business owner, I understand how important dependable childcare is to both families and our workforce. Parents should not have to choose between maintaining employment and finding safe, quality care for their children. At the same time, we need to recognize the challenges facing childcare providers, including staffing, regulatory requirements, and the cost of operating a facility.
I believe Michigan should focus on increasing childcare availability, reducing unnecessary barriers that make it difficult for quality providers to open or expand, strengthening the early childhood workforce, and ensuring resources are directed toward programs that demonstrate positive outcomes for children and families. Our goal should be a sustainable system that supports parents, respects providers, and gives every child a strong foundation during the most important developmental years.
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?
The shortage of infant and toddler childcare is a serious challenge for Michigan families, particularly in rural and smaller communities. I believe we need to increase access without creating a larger government bureaucracy or imposing additional mandates that make it even more expensive to provide care.
I would focus on removing unnecessary regulatory barriers that prevent qualified childcare providers from opening, expanding, or adding capacity while maintaining appropriate health and safety standards. Michigan should also make it easier for small, home-based and community providers to enter the market, address workforce shortages, and ensure existing early childhood funding is being used efficiently and reaching families and providers.
I also believe parents should have choices. State policy should support a diverse childcare marketplace that includes childcare centers, home-based providers, faith-based organizations, employers, and other community partnerships rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
Ultimately, our goal should be to increase the supply of safe, quality childcare, encourage competition and innovation, and make care more affordable while respecting parents as the primary decision-makers for their children.
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?
Childcare costs have become a significant burden for Michigan families, and I believe the solution should focus on lowering the underlying cost of providing care.
I believe parents should remain the primary decision-makers for their children. State policy should encourage a competitive and diverse childcare market that includes licensed centers, home-based providers, faith-based organizations, employer-supported care, and other community options. We should review regulations that unnecessarily increase operating costs or discourage new providers while maintaining appropriate health and safety standards.
I would also support examining targeted tax relief for working families and incentives that encourage employers and private organizations to help expand childcare options. Existing state and federal early childhood dollars should be evaluated to ensure funding reaches families and frontline providers rather than being consumed by administrative overhead.
Ultimately, Michigan needs to address both affordability and supply by reducing unnecessary barriers, strengthening the childcare workforce, encouraging entrepreneurship and competition, and giving families greater choice in determining what works best for their children.
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 provide an important service to Michigan families, and high turnover makes it more difficult for children to receive consistent, quality care. At the same time, simply mandating higher wages or benefits could increase childcare costs for families or force smaller providers to close.
I believe we should focus on strengthening the economics of the profession. That means reducing unnecessary regulatory and administrative costs for providers, expanding pathways into the profession, supporting apprenticeships and skills-based training, and removing barriers that make it difficult for qualified individuals to enter or remain in the field.
I would also support exploring targeted incentives that help providers recruit and retain quality employees without imposing a one-size-fits-all compensation structure from Lansing. We should ensure that existing state and federal childcare funding prioritizes children, families, and frontline caregivers rather than excessive administrative overhead.
A sustainable childcare system requires providers who can operate successful businesses, employees who have opportunities to build rewarding careers, and care that remains affordable for working families. State policy should work toward all three.
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 believe supporting Michigan families with young children is important, before creating a new funding mechanism or asking taxpayers for additional revenue, I would want a thorough review of the significant state and federal resources Michigan already directs toward childcare, maternal and infant services, early education, and family assistance. We should identify duplication, administrative overhead, and opportunities to direct more existing dollars to families and frontline providers.
I believe early childhood programs should compete for funding based on demonstrated need, effectiveness, and measurable outcomes through a transparent budgeting process. Where investments are producing meaningful results for children and families, I would support prioritizing them within the state budget.
My approach would be to make existing government work better. Michigan families need affordable childcare and strong early childhood services, but they also need a state government that respects taxpayers and ensures every dollar is being used effectively.
If you were setting priorities within a constrained early childhood budget, what would you prioritize first, and why?
With a constrained budget, I would prioritize programs that directly support children and families and can demonstrate measurable results. My first priorities would be ensuring access to safe, quality childcare, supporting healthy early development, and strengthening programs that help children enter school prepared to succeed.
I would also prioritize getting more existing dollars to families, childcare providers, and frontline educators rather than administrative overhead. That includes addressing barriers that limit childcare capacity, particularly for infants and toddlers and in rural communities, while maintaining appropriate health and safety standards.
I believe every taxpayer dollar should have a clear purpose and measurable outcome. I would regularly evaluate programs for effectiveness, eliminate duplication and waste, and redirect resources toward approaches that are actually working. When resources are limited, Michigan should fund results rather than simply funding programs because they have historically received an appropriation.
Most importantly, state policy should strengthen families rather than replace them. Parents are their children’s first and most important caregivers, and our early childhood investments should give families greater opportunity, flexibility, and choice in determining what is best for their children.
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?
Protecting the health of mothers and babies should be a priority, particularly by ensuring that resources reach those who truly need them. Medicaid plays an important role in providing care for low-income pregnant women, infants, children, and other vulnerable populations, and I believe we must protect access for eligible families while ensuring the program remains financially sustainable for the future.
My approach would be to prioritize prenatal care, maternal health services, healthy pregnancies, postpartum care, and infant health while closely examining how existing state and federal dollars are being spent. We should reduce administrative waste, prevent fraud and improper payments, and direct more resources toward patients and frontline providers.
I would also support expanding access through community health providers, rural healthcare, telehealth where appropriate, and partnerships with nonprofit and faith-based organizations. We should address provider shortages and reimbursement challenges that can leave families technically covered but unable to find timely care.
As federal policies and funding change, Michigan must carefully evaluate what is most effective. My priority would be protecting essential services for mothers and babies, measuring outcomes, and ensuring limited taxpayer resources are directed toward programs that demonstrably improve maternal and infant health.
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 important role that home visiting, early intervention, and family support programs can play, particularly for families facing significant challenges during a child’s earliest years. When these programs are voluntary, evidence-based, and focused on strengthening parents and families, they can help identify developmental concerns earlier and connect families with appropriate resources before problems become more serious and costly.
I would be open to increased funding for programs that can demonstrate measurable outcomes and responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Before increasing appropriations, however, I would want to evaluate existing state and federal funding, program effectiveness, administrative costs, and whether resources are reaching families and frontline providers.
I also believe strongly that participation in home visiting and similar programs should remain voluntary and respect parental rights and privacy. Government’s role should be to provide families with effective tools and resources when they need them, not replace parents or dictate how they raise their children.
With limited resources, I would prioritize programs that demonstrate they are improving child development, supporting healthy parent-child relationships, and preventing more costly interventions later in life.
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?
Early intervention can make a meaningful difference for infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays, while giving parents the resources and support they need to help their children succeed. I believe these services are an appropriate area for the state to prioritize, particularly when intervention early in a child’s development can improve long-term outcomes and potentially reduce the need for more costly services later.
I would support evaluating increased funding for Early On based on demonstrated need, measurable outcomes, and a clear understanding of how additional dollars would directly improve services for children and families. I would want funding directed toward individualized intervention and frontline professionals rather than additional administrative overhead.
I also believe parents must remain central to the process. Families should be informed of their options, involved in developing their child’s individualized plan, and empowered to make decisions about the services their child receives.
Within a responsible and balanced state budget, programs that provide effective early intervention for children with identified disabilities and developmental delays would be a priority for me.
If elected, how would you gather input from parents, caregivers, and early childhood professionals in your district when making decisions that affect them?
If elected, I would make listening to parents, caregivers, and early childhood professionals an important part of my decision-making process. I believe the people directly raising children and providing care often understand these challenges better than policymakers in Lansing.
As a mother of four, including a child with a disability, I also understand personally how important it is for parents to have a voice when decisions are being made about the services, education, and resources available to their children. Families should not have to fight through government bureaucracy simply to be heard or access the support their children need.
I would continue spending significant time throughout the district, visiting childcare centers and early childhood programs, meeting with providers, holding community conversations, and speaking directly with parents and caregivers. I would also maintain an accessible district office where families and professionals can bring concerns and proposed solutions directly to me and my staff.
I would seek input from a broad range of voices, including childcare centers, home-based providers, educators, healthcare and early intervention professionals, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, employers, and, most importantly, parents. Good policy begins by listening to the people it affects, and parents should always remain the primary decision-makers and advocates for their children.
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?
My approach begins with a simple principle: strong families are the foundation of strong communities. As a mother of four, including a child with a disability, I understand that every child is different and that parents know their children best. State government should be a partner to families when support is needed, not a replacement for parents or a barrier they have to navigate.
I believe Michigan should focus its resources on programs that produce measurable outcomes for children, expand access to safe and affordable childcare, provide effective early intervention for children with disabilities and developmental delays, and ensure assistance reaches families and frontline professionals rather than being lost to unnecessary bureaucracy.
I also recognize that supporting young children means supporting the people who care for them. I want to hear directly from parents, childcare providers, early childhood educators, healthcare professionals, and intervention specialists about what is working and what needs to change.
I will approach these issues with both compassion and fiscal responsibility. We can protect taxpayers while prioritizing vulnerable children, strengthening parental choice, removing unnecessary barriers for providers, and investing responsibly in programs that demonstrate real results. Ultimately, I want Michigan to be a state where families can afford to raise their children, children of every ability have the opportunity to thrive, and parents feel empowered to build a strong future for their families.
Are there early childhood issues you believe are being overlooked in the current policy conversation in Michigan?
Yes. I believe one of the most overlooked issues is not simply whether Michigan has early childhood programs, but whether children are being identified early enough and actually receiving the services those programs are intended to provide.
As a mother of four, including a child with a disability, I know how critical early identification, clear communication, and timely access to services can be. Families can experience significant differences in the availability of services depending on where they live, including through our ISDs and early intervention systems. Identifying a developmental delay or disability is only the first step. Parents then need timely access to speech, developmental, educational, and other appropriate interventions without having to navigate an unnecessarily complicated system on their own.
Early literacy is another area that deserves greater attention. Michigan cannot wait until third grade to address reading deficiencies. We should be building strong foundations before children enter elementary school through language development, phonemic awareness, evidence-based reading practices, developmental screening, and early identification of learning challenges. Parents should also have access to practical tools that help them reinforce those skills at home.
I also believe we need greater accountability for the significant state and federal resources already dedicated to early childhood. We should measure success not simply by how much money is appropriated or how many programs exist, but by whether children are actually receiving services and demonstrating improved outcomes.
Michigan can do a better job connecting pediatric providers, Early On, ISDs, childcare providers, preschools, and families so children do not fall through the gaps between systems. If we identify needs earlier, intervene sooner, strengthen early literacy, and hold our systems accountable for results, we can give more children the opportunity to enter school ready to learn and succeed.