Jeff Donofrio, President, and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan, made the following statement after the child care accessibility and affordability proposals announced this week:

“Access to affordable child care is a critically important piece of Michigan’s post-pandemic recovery. Data shows that parents with young children were more likely to have left the workforce during the pandemic. That’s especially true for women with children under the age of five, who are 30 times more likely to have dropped out of the workforce. Our state’s largest employers know there are many employees who will have a hard time returning fully until this major barrier is overcome. 

“Employers are grateful that elected officials have already been hard at work on solving this challenge. We commend Reps. Thomas Albert and Jack O’Malley for their proactive focus in finding ways to strengthen the state’s child care system and look forward to bipartisan solutions being enacted this summer.”