Lake Superior Community Partnership and 4C of the Upper Peninsula Awarded $184,000 in Funding to Coordinate Implementation of U.P. Childcare Action Plan and Family Child Care Networks

Posted by on May 27, 2025

MARQUETTE, MI — The Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) and 4C of the Upper Peninsula have been awarded two grants totaling $184,000 by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) to support the implementation of the U.P. Childcare Coalition Action Plan and U.P. Family Child Care Networks (FCCNs).

The action plan, receiving $99,000 in grant funding for implementation, was developed by a broad coalition of partners across the region in 2024. It seeks to expand access to childcare opportunities throughout the U.P. Awarded funding will support a wide range of activities between now and September 30, 2025, including:

  • Expanding the reach of Childcare SPARK, an innovative business incubator helping create home-based childcare businesses, to six counties: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Mackinaw, Marquette, and Ontonagon
  • Supporting a summer 2025 Childhood Development Associate (CDA) course, expanding the credentials of childcare professionals to provide high-quality childcare and education
  • Expanding access to a qualified pool of substitute childcare providers to support existing childcare providers in ensuring consistent, high-quality services
  • Expanding efforts to educate and inform businesses on the value of Tri-Share as a benefit they can offer employees to help mitigate childcare barriers
  • Sharing resources with local governments on steps to create a more welcoming zoning environment for childcare services
  • Coordinating additional gatherings and continued coalition meetings to share information, case studies, and other data helpful in advancing the action plan’s work

“I appreciate our partners who asked the LSCP to step up and apply for funding to continue this valuable work,” said LSCP CEO Christopher Germain. “Childcare continues to be one of the most commonly cited barriers to workforce participation, and as a local economic development organization, we seek to remove such barriers every day. The funding awarded by ECIC will build on the great work done by the regional coalition to expand access across the entire upper peninsula. The corresponding work being done with the FCCN grant will only amplify that work and create regional synergies that will benefit us all.”

The FCCN initiative, supported by $85,000 in grant funding, will help build and sustain a Family Child Care Network serving home-based childcare providers across the Upper Peninsula. Activities supported through September 30, 2025, include:

  • Recruiting and engaging 25 home-based childcare providers across the region to participate in a new Family Child Care Network
  • Holding monthly virtual and rotating in-person meetings to build community, share resources, and offer peer support
  • Providing access to professional development opportunities, including participation in the April 2025 “Birth to Three” conference
  • Offering onsite consultation, peer mentoring, and coaching to strengthen childcare quality and provider business operations
  • Supporting providers in financial management, career advancement, and connections to local resources and services
  • Collecting and analyzing data to guide programming, track progress, and improve outcomes for providers and families

“The work being done under the U.P. Childcare Coalition and FCCNs will help create a brighter future for our families through expanded access and higher quality,” said 4C Executive Director Deb Dupras. “I appreciate the work the entire coalition does, excited about the work being expanded under these grants, and look forward to continued collaboration across the region working with families, providers, businesses, state partners, and others.”

Both grants were provided by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC). Joan Blough, Senior Director of the Child Care Innovation Fund from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, added, “We are grateful to have the opportunity to continue to partner with the Lake Superior Community Partnership and 4C of the Upper Peninsula.  Their leadership in recognizing childcare as a critical component of the region’s infrastructure that supports economic growth and in bringing families and providers together is exceptional.  The Child Care Innovation Fund looks forward to supporting the region’s efforts to increase childcare supply.”

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