Child care costs can be thousands of dollars a month for some families in Michigan, and advocates are calling for government help to ease the burden, the Capital News Service reports.
"People are paying more than their mortgage or rent to make sure their children get the care they need," says one official.
"Without government grants, child care providers would not be able to expand their services and increase access to more children."
Recently, the state directed federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act to child care providers across the state.
The money was intended to stabilize those providers and keep them from having to close.
Now, they worry about what will happen when the funding ends.
"We were able to cover staff bonuses and benefits with the money," says one director at Longview Early Childhood Center in Midland.
"But this wasn't enough to retain the staff we need, which is concerning."
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