CHILD CARE

Federal funding and programs established to help ease child care costs during the pandemic are set to expire in September, which could leave hundreds of thousands of Michigan kids without child care.

The new effort brings together local child care providers, families, policymakers and businesses to develop and implement a regional action plan over the next year.

The state of Michigan is working to help meet the behavioral health needs of children in foster care.

AAPS will be doing a hiring push for before and after care workers.

The costs can be crippling for parents struggling to make ends meet. It’s no secret that child care costs have gone up, and now the state is working to keep those costs down.

Child care centers across Southeast Michigan are getting some extra help from their local Michigan Works! offices amid ongoing staffing shortages.

AAPS will be hosting virtual interviews this week.

A Canton Township daycare has its license suspended by the state, but as of now, what happened inside the home day care is still a mystery.

A Canton Township family child care home has had its license suspended after a “high-risk special investigation,” officials said.

County officials are urging anyone struggling to pay rent to apply for CERA benefits.

Ann Arbor Public Schools will be offering after school enrichment classes in some of its buildings this year.

The Ann Arbor YMCA has reinstated its mask policy as Washtenaw County sees "substantial" COVID transmission, according to the CDC.

When schools and daycares shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, many working parents struggled to manage working while taking care of their children.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan on Monday to invest $1.4 billion in federal child case funding to expand access to child care, make child care more affordable and to support child care professionals.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a news conference Monday in Troy to put forward their plan to make an “historic investment to expand access to child care for families throughout Michigan,” according to the governor’s office.

Gretchen Whitmer submitted her third budget for the state of Michigan Thursday. Whitmer looks to draw down on the Michigan General Fund by $11.5 billion and the School Aid Fund by $14.7 billion. “This is a restrained budget,” Whitmer said. Whitmer wants $360 million to keep in place the $2 an hour wage increase for direct care workers and wants another $38 million to help nursing homes. $300 million has been planned for bridge repair and she wants to help Michigan cities with a $175 million budget stabilization for COVID response.

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. A Canton womans child care family home license that was suspended by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) in July has been reinstated. LARA initially suspended Sheila Robbins license, effective July 31. An original notice posted by LARA cited a drug screening as the reason for the initial summary suspension. However, an administrative law judge granted LARAs motion to lift the summary suspension on Aug. 28. LARA also withdrew its notice of intent to revoke.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Ann Arbor YMCA has announced a new all-day child care program for school-age children in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The YMCA Virtual Learning Labs program offers scheduled child care and a supervised place to learn as families adapt to hybrid school schedules. The program will have one staff member for every 10 students and will follow state, local and CDC safety guidelines, according to the Ann Arbor YMCA. Many parents who have to report to work on-site require childcare and light academic support for their kids, especially with local schools teaching students virtually this fall, said Toni Kayumi, president and CEO of Ann Arbor YMCA. Limited openings are also available at the Ann Arbor YMCA Child Development Center, Glacier Hills YMCA Child Development Center and Ypsilanti YMCA Child Development Center.

Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo has since lost its contract with the state to care for youth in the state’s foster care and juvenile justice systems and had its license to operate suspended. Three former Lakeside Academy staff members face charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse in Fredericks' death. “When a child does come into care, we need to make that care as family-like as possible. Lakeside Academy had a series of violations of previous restraint rules, MDHHS Children’s Services Agency Executive Director JooYeun Chang said. Chang said following Fredericks' death, the department did a review of every licensed child care facility and looked to see how many in the past two years had even one serious safety incident or repeated safety incidents, with 76 facilities marked and given new guidance and assistance.

A child is standing with a teacher just inside the main door, waiting to be picked up by a parent. Moments later, the boys father arrives at the door, stands outside and the teacher opens the door and hands him to his father. The kids who still attend are with teachers in classrooms and, from the sounds of it, most are having fun. On many occasions, one small thing would not be quite right and make the whole routine spiral out of control. As for the kids, theyre tough.

ANN ARBOR – The Washtenaw County Health Department is declaring updated emergency orders requiring businesses, service providers and operators to screen their employees for symptoms of COVID-19 starting Friday. Under the new local order, the Washtenaw County Health Department is expanding screenings to include all businesses -- including childcare centers -- to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The updated orders must be posted at the entrance of facilities that are currently operating or that may resume operations. But social distancing is working,” Washtenaw County Health Officer Jimena Loveluck said in a statement. But we continue to see new cases of COVID-19 every day in Washtenaw County, and we must be cautious moving forward.”Anyone with urgent questions can contact 734-544-6700 or l-wchdcontact@washtenaw.org.

DETROIT – Michigan offers several programs to help residents in times of hardship. With more than one million out of work in the state due to coronavirus, these resources are as important as ever. MIBridges, the state’s benefit program site, can help you navigate through available programs and through the application process. Available programs include:Food Assistance Program (FAP) (Provides benefits to buy or grow food) Related: Michigan expands food assistance benefits, suspends SNAP work requirements amid coronavirusHealthcare Coverage (Helps pay for medical costs)Child Development & Care (CDC) (Helps pay for childcare costs)Cash Assistance (Provides cash to help meet basic needs)State Emergency Relief (Provides help or assistance for emergency housing, utility, and burial situations)Go to MIBridge to learn more and apply for programs. Related: Q&A: Michigan unemployment agency answers questions about issues applying for benefits