MARQUETTE — The Lake Superior Community Partnership and 4C of the Upper Peninsula have been wayward two grants totaling $184,000 to support the implementation of the U.P. Childcare Coalition Action Plan and U.P. Family Child Care Networks.

The grants were both received from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. The action plan received $99,000 in grant funding for implementation and was developed by a broad coalition of partners across the region back in 2024. The plan seeks to expand access to childcare opportunities across the Upper Peninsula. Awarded funding will support a wide range of activities between now and Sept. 30 of this year, including:

• Expanding the research of Childcare SPARK, a business incubator helping create homebased childcare businesses, to six counties: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Mackinaw, Marquette and Ontonagon

• Supporting a summer 2025 Childhood Development Associate 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 provided in ensuring consistent, high-quality services

• Expanding efforts to educate and inform businesses about the value of offering Tri-Share as a benefit they can offer their 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 in a press release. “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.”

$85,000 in grant funding will support the FCCN initiative, helping build and sustain a Family Child Care Network that serves home-based childcare providers across the U.P.

Activities supported through Sept. 30 of this year include:

• Recruiting and engaging 25 home-based childcare providers across the region to participate in a new FCCN

• Holding monthly virtual and rotating in-person meetings to build community, share resources, and offer peer support

• Providing access to professional development opportunities such as the April 2025’s “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.”

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to continue to partner with the Lake Superior Community Partnership and 4C of the Upper Peninsula,” added Joan Blough, Senior Director of the Child Care Innovation Fund from the Early Childhood Investment Corporation. “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.”