Michigan Early Childhood Budget Tracker (FY27)

The Michigan Early Childhood Budget Tracker for Fiscal Year 2027 was last updated February 12, 2026.

Understanding the Budget Tracker:
Each column represents an independent proposal put forth by the body indicated on the heading. After the Governor, Senate, and House each release their own proposals (columns A-C), the Senate and House work together to iron out the differences (column D).

• Executive Recommendation: the Governor’s budget proposal
• Senate: the Senate’s budget proposal
• House: the House of Representatives’ budget proposal
• Passed by the Legislature: the final proposal put forth by the Senate and House after their negotiations – this version will be sent to the Governor’s desk for signature (where she can line-item veto)

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Child Care

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
No increase to CDC scholarship reimbursement rates for child care providers. Providers continue to be paid based on enrollment rather than attendance. The CDC scholarship program remains flat-funded at $577.3 million, which is inclusive of state and federal funds.	Concurs with Executive.	Reduces program funding by $19.5 million. Providers would be paid based on attendance rather than enrollment. The CDC Scholarship program would be funded at $557.8 million, which is inclusive of state and federal funds.	Increases CDC Program funding by $88.1 million to reflect anticipated caseload increases. Providers will continue to be paid based on enrollment. The CDC Scholarship will be funded at $631.4 million.
Maintains $1.5 million for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Maintains $3.4 million for the TriShare Child Care Program.	Concurs with Executive.	Reduces program funding by $1.3 million. Tri-share program would be funded at $2.1 million.	Concurs with Executive and Senate. Program will continue to be funded at $3.4 million.
Not included.	Not included.	Adds language that prohibits MiLEAP from using any funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.	Not included.

Early Learning Partnerships

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
A new $30 million investment for Early Learning Partnerships, which would provide central access points to early childhood services; family and community outreach to build awareness, trust, and referral networks; support early identification of developmental delays; and provide real-time insights to improve services and systems. The $30 million total includes: - $16.9 million for Partnerships' staffing costs and to improve family engagement and child development, provide universal developmental screening and follow up supports, and participate in a coordinated, statewide enrollment system. At least $1 million of this would support MiFamily Engagement Regional Centers. - $3.9 million for family support services, including home visiting. - $4 million to improve access to books and early literacy materials for children birth to age five. - $4 million to raise awareness of available early learning services, including through implementation of a coordinated statewide enrollment system. - $1.2 million to provide statewide leadership, technical assistance, and central access.	Senate concurs with Executive on $30 million for Early Learning Partnerships. The $30 million total includes: - $15.9 million to coordinate early childhood services in alignment with the Help Me Grow National Fidelity Assessment and provide universal developmental screening and follow up supports. - $1.5 million to support MiFamily Engagement Regional Centers. - $7.2 million for family support services, including home visiting. - $4 million to improve literacy outcomes for children prenatal to age five. - $1.4 million to provide statewide leadership, technical assistance, and central access. - The Senate does not include funding to raise awareness of available early learning services, including through a coordinated statewide enrollment system.	House concurs with Executive on the creation of Early Learning Partnerships, but provides $29.8 million total. The $29.8 million total includes: - $16.9 million for Partnerships' staffing costs, provide universal developmental screening and follow up supports. - Does not allocate any funding for MiFamily Engagement Regional Centers. - $3.9 million for family support services, including home visiting - $4 million to improve access to books and early literacy materials for children birth to age five - $5 million for early literacy curriculum - The House does not include funding to raise awareness of available early learning services, including through a coordinated statewide enrollment system.	Concurs with Executive.

32p Side-by-Side Overview

Early Childhood Investment Fund

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
Not included.	Establishes a new Child Care Payment Fund in the MiLEAP budget, and includes $1 million in the Fund. The money is available to qualified child care providers based on the number of children in their care. Funding for children aged 36 months or less is doubled.	Not included.	Creates a new Early Childhood Investment Fund in the MiLEAP budget, specifies purpose of the fund, and provides $5.0 million of ongoing funding. This Fund will provide supplemental support to the CDC Program, Early On, GSRP, and programs for infants and toddlers. Funds may be used to increase provider or reimbursement rates; increase eligibility or the number of available program scholarships or slots; reduce co-pays, fees, or other costs to families enrolled in eligible programs; grants for infrastructure or equipment, or the creation or expansion of licensed facilities; provision of education programs, curriculum, or services through licensed providers; recruitment and retention initiatives for eligible early childhood workers; or other community-based initiatives or pilot programs that leverage non-state dollars. For FY2027, Fund use is limited to those directly related to the CDC program.

GSRP

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
$764.7 million gross to provide universal PreK through the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) for all four-year-olds serving an estimated 68,000 children, and includes a 6% increase to per pupil rates: - Increases 4 day/week per child allocation to $11,290 - Increases extended GSRP option to $13,548 - Increases part-day and Head Start blended option to $5,645 - Increases extended Head Start blended option to $6,774	Concurs with Executive.	$641.9 million gross to provide universal PreK through the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) for four-year-olds, including a 2.5% increase to per pupil rates: - Increases 4 day/week per child allocation to $10,916 - Increases extended GSRP option to $13,099 - Increases part-day and Head Start blended option to $5,458 - Increases extended Head Start blended option to $6,550	$730.4 million gross to provide Universal PreK through the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) for four-year-olds, including a 10% increase to per pupil rates: -Increases 4 day/week per child allocation to $11,736 -Increases extended GSRP option to $14,083 -Increases part-day and Head Start blended option to $5,868 -Increases extended Head Start blended option to $7,041
Maintains requirement for ISDs to contract at least 30 percent of their allocation to community-based providers.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive. Includes a requirement for MiLEAP to report on ISDs that lose funding for failing to contract at least of 30% of their allocation to community-based providers.	Concurs with House.
Maintains $28 million for transportation costs, which includes $18 million from the GSRP reserve fund. Maintains language requiring MiLEAP to develop parameters to provide reimbursement for parent or guardian provided transportation.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Increases start up and expansion grants by $15 million for a total of $25 million to open 1,000 additional classrooms.	Concurs with Executive.	Eliminates funding for start up and expansion grants.	Decreases by $6.4 million for a total of $3.6 million in start up and expansion grants.
Includes $200 million for universal free breakfast and lunch for PreK-12 students in public school-based settings and making nonpublic schools ineligible, and proposes making free school meals permanent in state law.	Includes $200 million for universal free breakfast and lunch for PreK-12 students in public and non-public school settings.	Includes $201.6 million for universal free breakfast and lunch for PreK-12 students in public and nonpublic school-based settings.	Includes $202 million for universal free breakfast and lunch for PreK-12 students in public and non-public school settings.
Did not include funding for the 3-year-old GSRP preschool pilot program, Strong Beginnings. Strong Beginnings received multi-year funding in the FY2026 budget.	Adds an additional $11 million for Strong Beginnings pilot in FY2027.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Revises allocation of $350,000 GF funding for GSRP longitudinal evaluation to be an indetermined amount of SAF that is allocated from GSRP program funding. Increases program funding by $350,000 SAF but does not specify that the amount is allocated for the evaluation.	Concurs with Executive.	Eliminates $350,000 in GF funding for the GSRP longitudinal evaluation.	Concurs with Executive.

Early Identification & Intervention (Early On)

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
Increases by $1.45 million for a total of $25.1 million.	Concurs with Executive.	Increases by $5 million for a total of $28.7 million.	Increases by $2.4 million for a total of $26.1 million.

Maternal & Child Health

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
No funding included to study the expansion of continuous Medicaid coverage for children under age 6.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Maintains $5 million for local collaboratives to improve and coordinate maternal and infant health as a part of the perinatal quality collaborative.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Maintains $10 million to support hospital improvements in maternal safety and outcomes; including focusing on pregnancy-associated injury and death, racial disparities, and substance use disorder.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive and include additional reporting requirements by MDHHS.	Concurs with House.
Maintains funding for CenteringPregnancy at $5 million.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Maintains $2.75 million for rural home visiting program.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Not included.	Includes $1.5 million in one-time funds for evidence-based home visiting programs.	Includes $1.6 million to support maternal and infant home visiting programs in counties that do not currently have access to one.	Not included.
Not included.	Not included.	Adds language that prohibits MDHHS from using state funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.	Not included.
Not included.	Not included.	Adds language that prohibits MDHHS from waiving SNAP work requirements without specific legislature approval.	Not included.
Not included.	Not included.	Adds language that prohibits MDHHS from providing exemptions from SNAP work requirement; allows for good-cause exemptions for temporary absence from employment.	Not included.

Economic Security

Executive Recommendation	Senate Proposal	House Proposal	Passed by the Legislature
Maintains funding for Prenatal and Infant Cash Support Program "Rx Kids" at $20 million.	Concurs with Executive	House removes $20 million; eliminates Rx Kids funding.	$20 million in TANF funds continued, will be allocated through various line items in the MDHHS budget

Workforce Supports

Executive Recommendation	As passed by the Senate	As passed by the House	Passed by the Legislature
Not included.	Not included.	Not included.	Provides $30 million through the School Aid Fund for early childhood workforce development initiatives. Funds can support initiatives that increase the number of early childhood workers in GSRP, child care, and Head Start; enhance professional development and career advancement opportunities for the early childhood workforce; or implement early childhood worker recruitment and retention strategies including bonus or incentive payments or payment of costs associatd with the provision of health care, retirement, or paid leave benefits. Work project language is added allowing funds to be carried forward into FY2028.
$25 million in new one-time funding for Workforce Training and Development through Michigan Works! Agencies in response to federal work requirements in H.R.1. Funds will support activities that may include job search and job skills training, job placement assistance and vocational rehabilitation services, as necessary.	$15 million in new one-time funding for Workforce Training and Development through Michigan Works! Agencies.	$15 million in new one-time funding for Workforce Training and Development through Michigan Works! Agencies.	Includes $10 million in funds.
$5 million in new one-time funding to support and expand registered apprenticeship opportunities in response to federal work requirements in H.R.1. Registered apprenticeships allow individuals to earn while they learn, gaining industry-recognized credentials without burdensome tuition debt and expanding opportunities.	Concurs with Executive.	Not included.	Includes $4.0 million in one-time funds.
Increases funding for Rural Development Fund Grants to $4 million ($2 million continued, $2 million in new one-time funds) to support projects that enhance land-based industries and rural community infrastructure, including job training, child care, housing and utilities.	Maintains $2 million in continued funding for the Rural Development Fund Grants.	Maintains $2 million in continued funding for the Rural Development Fund Grants.	Concurs with Executive.
$50 million in continued funding for the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund to continue supporting affordable housing needs and revitalization of neighborhoods and downtowns.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.	Concurs with Executive.
Proposes to eliminate the GoingPro program, which is funded at $31.8 million in FY2026.	Concurs with Executive.	Increases GoingPro program funding to $40 million ($30 million ongoing and $10 million in one-time funds).	Includes $14.5 million in one-time funds for Going Pro.

For a comparison, the FY26 Michigan Early Childhood Budget Tracker is available for your review.